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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: ruler · club · deal · drill · last · leaves

  1. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — an agreement
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. club — for golf
  4. drill — the tool
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. last — to go on
  7. drill — a practice
  8. last — finally
  9. leaves — to go away
  10. deal — to handle
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. leaves — of a tree
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. last — final
  15. club — for dancing
  16. drill — army training
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. club — a group

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