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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 120 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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  4. I've got to change the light ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Did you ________________ the button?
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.

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. patient — calm and waiting
  4. bulb — for light
  5. march — the month
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bulb — for light
  9. press — newspapers
  10. press — to push
  11. chair — a leader
  12. bulb — of a plant
  13. stock — goods
  14. stock — shares
  15. swing — music
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. press — a publisher
  18. swing — to play on
  19. patient — a sick person
  20. fork — in a road
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. swing — in golf
  24. fork — a garden tool

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