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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 116 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 · bay · march · fall · land · ball · present · ruler

  1. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. When are we going to ________________?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. fall — to drop
  3. ball — a great time
  4. march — the month
  5. march — music
  6. land — ground
  7. deal — to handle
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. fall — to drop
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. present — the time now
  13. ball — a dance
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. present — there
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. land — a country
  18. march — the month
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. land — to come down
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. present — a gift
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. fall — the season

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