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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. track — a path
  3. march — the month
  4. spell — magic
  5. rash — hasty
  6. march — the month
  7. track — a song
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. rash — a series
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — shares
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. track — to keep track
  15. march — music
  16. spell — letters
  17. spell — a short time
  18. pit — a hole

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