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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. deal — to handle
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. last — to go on
  6. shower — to wash
  7. march — the month
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. suit — clothes
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. last — final
  12. shower — rain
  13. suit — in cards
  14. march — the month
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. tear — from crying
  17. march — music
  18. last — finally
  19. wind — moving air
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. tear — to rip
  22. wind — moving air
  23. tear — from crying
  24. deal — a big deal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com