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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The water is too ________________.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  24. When will it ________________ you to start?

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. march — music
  3. cold — an illness
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. march — the month
  6. suit — clothes
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. charge — in control
  10. suit — in cards
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. stock — shares
  13. tear — to rip
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. charge — electricity
  16. tear — from crying
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. march — the month
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. tear — from crying
  21. stock — goods
  22. cold — not warm
  23. fork — in a road
  24. suit — to fit

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