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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  3. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. degree — from a university
  3. toast — bread
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. march — the month
  7. stock — shares
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. mark — a grade
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. degree — temperature
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stock — goods
  15. degree — an amount
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. mark — a trace
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. kid — child
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. march — the month
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. kid — to tease

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