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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — a container
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pound — a weight
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. march — the month
  16. mine — for digging
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — shares
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. foot — a measure
  24. march — the month

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