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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Have you settled on a ________________?
  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. date — on the calendar
  2. current — happening now
  3. capital — a big letter
  4. march — the month
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. stock — shares
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. stock — goods
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. current — of water
  11. date — the fruit
  12. capital — a city
  13. branch — of a tree
  14. capital — money
  15. branch — a division
  16. current — electric
  17. spell — a short time
  18. spell — letters
  19. march — music
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. spell — magic
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. date — on the calendar
  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