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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. bat — the animal
  3. stock — goods
  4. face — to point toward
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. mark — a grade
  7. prune — to trim
  8. mark — a trace
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. stock — shares
  12. bass — the fish
  13. prune — to trim
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. face — to confront
  17. pound — a weight
  18. march — music
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. march — the month
  21. bass — low music
  22. face — part of the head
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. pound — for dogs

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