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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  17. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. pound — a weight
  4. stock — goods
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pound — for dogs
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. march — the month
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. march — music
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. stock — shares
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. toast — bread
  17. wax — for sculpting
  18. rush — hurry
  19. file — a tool
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. wax — to grow
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. file — a line of people
  24. file — a document

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