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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 116 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. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — in cards
  2. ground — crushed
  3. march — music
  4. march — the month
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. drill — the tool
  7. leaves — to go away
  8. drill — a practice
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. swing — in golf
  11. stock — shares
  12. swing — music
  13. ground — a position
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. suit — clothes
  16. drill — army training
  17. leaves — lets stay
  18. ground — the earth
  19. suit — to fit
  20. stock — goods
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. bark — to shout
  23. march — the month
  24. swing — to play on

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