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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. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The ________________ took off on time.
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. foot — a measure
  3. spell — letters
  4. march — the month
  5. track — to keep track
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. plane — a tool
  9. plane — in geometry
  10. stock — goods
  11. track — a song
  12. cue — for pool
  13. stock — shares
  14. cue — a signal
  15. band — a ring
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. spell — a short time
  18. plane — an aircraft
  19. spell — magic
  20. band — a music group
  21. march — the month
  22. cue — a hint
  23. track — a path
  24. band — a rubber band

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