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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 116 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. march — the month
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stem — of a plant
  6. march — the month
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. chip — for betting
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. wound — an injury
  12. stock — shares
  13. wound — an injury
  14. court — for sport
  15. chip — to eat
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. pitch — a sales talk
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. court — of law
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. pitch — completely
  22. court — of a king
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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