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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stock — shares
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. row — a line
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. track — a path
  7. row — to paddle
  8. season — in sport
  9. march — the month
  10. sharp — clever
  11. track — to keep track
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. march — music
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. sharp — with an edge
  16. season — of the year
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. content — the amount
  19. track — a song
  20. stock — goods
  21. content — videos and posts
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. content — happy
  24. season — to add flavour

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