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

Word bank: deal · ruler · march · fine · rest · date

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. march — the month
  3. march — the month
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. date — the fruit
  7. deal — to handle
  8. rest — a break
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. rest — what's left
  13. fine — high quality
  14. march — music
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. rest — what's left
  18. date — on the calendar

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