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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. march — the month
  4. band — a ring
  5. march — music
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. stock — goods
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. bulb — for light
  11. band — a music group
  12. sharp — clever
  13. bulb — for light
  14. wax — for sculpting
  15. stock — shares
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. wax — to grow
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. wax — in the ear
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. march — the month
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. racket — for tennis

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