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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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Word bank
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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: drill · bass · roll · court · deal · pop · lie · march

  1. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. deal — to handle
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — a practice
  6. pop — to visit
  7. court — of law
  8. lie — to recline
  9. bass — low music
  10. deal — an agreement
  11. bass — the fish
  12. pop — music
  13. court — for sport
  14. march — the month
  15. roll — a cake
  16. march — music
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. roll — a list
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. court — of a king
  23. pop — soda
  24. drill — army training

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