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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 124 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. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. march — music
  3. drill — the tool
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — a practice
  6. chip — to eat
  7. content — happy
  8. content — the amount
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bear — the animal
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. march — the month
  14. drill — army training
  15. pop — music
  16. track — to keep track
  17. chip — for betting
  18. track — a path
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. track — a song
  21. pop — soda
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. deal — to handle
  24. bear — the animal

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