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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. rash — a series
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. stock — shares
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. ball — a dance
  8. ball — a great time
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. wave — with your hand
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rash — hasty
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. march — the month
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. content — the amount
  19. content — happy
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stock — goods
  23. wave — of the sea
  24. march — music

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