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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: squash · foot · spring · drill · rash · sharp · deal · march

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. march — the month
  5. drill — army training
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. march — music
  8. drill — a practice
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. spring — of water
  11. sharp — clever
  12. march — the month
  13. foot — a measure
  14. rash — hasty
  15. squash — to crush
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. spring — a coil
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. drill — the tool
  20. spring — the season
  21. deal — to handle
  22. rash — a series
  23. squash — the sport
  24. deal — a big deal

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