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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.

Make a worksheet

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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. march — the month
  3. stock — shares
  4. object — a thing
  5. present — there
  6. stock — goods
  7. land — a country
  8. sharp — clever
  9. present — the time now
  10. present — a gift
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. march — the month
  13. object — an aim
  14. march — music
  15. object — to protest
  16. land — to come down
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. stock — a soup base

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