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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. We're on a ________________ here.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. mug — a cup
  3. last — to go on
  4. shower — to wash
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. mug — to rob
  7. roll — on a roll
  8. roll — a cake
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. last — finally
  11. last — final
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. march — the month
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. stock — goods
  16. march — music
  17. fork — in a road
  18. march — the month
  19. board — a committee
  20. shower — rain
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — shares
  23. board — to get on
  24. mug — a face

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