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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.

Words on the sheet
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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: wound · court · fine · march · pass · bark · squash · deal

  1. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — an injury
  2. fine — high quality
  3. deal — to handle
  4. bark — of a tree
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. squash — the sport
  8. squash — to crush
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. wound — an injury
  11. march — the month
  12. pass — a permit
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. fine — all right
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. march — the month
  19. bark — to shout
  20. march — music
  21. court — of law
  22. court — of a king
  23. deal — an agreement
  24. court — for sport

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