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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: clip · mate · drill · lean · deal · bowl · march · roll

  1. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  2. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — a big deal
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. roll — a list
  5. drill — a practice
  6. roll — a cake
  7. drill — the tool
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. march — the month
  11. march — the month
  12. march — music
  13. mate — a friend
  14. clip — for paper
  15. mate — a partner
  16. clip — a video
  17. mate — to breed
  18. clip — to cut
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. drill — army training
  21. deal — to handle
  22. lean — thin
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. lean — to bend

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