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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. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. march — the month
  4. stock — goods
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. mate — a friend
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. last — to go on
  9. bear — the animal
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bear — the animal
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. bear — to put up with
  15. march — the month
  16. mate — a partner
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. last — finally
  20. march — music
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. dip — to sink
  23. stock — shares
  24. mate — to breed

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