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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. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  6. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. date — on the calendar
  2. fine — all right
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. press — newspapers
  6. cap — a lid
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. pop — music
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. march — the month
  11. press — to push
  12. cap — of ice
  13. fine — high quality
  14. race — humankind
  15. march — music
  16. cap — a hat
  17. date — the fruit
  18. pop — soda
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. march — the month
  21. press — a publisher
  22. race — the arms race
  23. pop — to visit
  24. race — a contest

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