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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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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. Have you settled on a ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. track — a song
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. stock — goods
  6. date — the fruit
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. land — ground
  9. patient — calm and waiting
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. wind — moving air
  13. date — on the calendar
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — shares
  16. march — the month
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. land — a country
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. land — to come down
  22. wind — moving air
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. wind — to turn a key

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