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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: spring · march · last · pit · staff · deal · bear · mate

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. Have you found your soul ________________?
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. pit — in a race
  3. mate — to breed
  4. staff — employees
  5. spring — of water
  6. pit — a hole
  7. deal — to handle
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. last — to go on
  10. mate — a partner
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. bear — the animal
  14. staff — a stick
  15. march — the month
  16. bear — the animal
  17. last — finally
  18. staff — employees
  19. spring — the season
  20. march — music
  21. mate — a friend
  22. spring — a coil
  23. last — final
  24. march — the month

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