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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. rule — government
  5. scale — in music
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. kid — child
  9. shower — to wash
  10. rule — a law
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. march — the month
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. scale — size or range
  19. rule — to rule out
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. shower — rain
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. stock — goods
  24. kid — to tease

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