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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. craft — boats
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. march — music
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. craft — a handicraft
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. deal — to handle
  11. hand — help
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. march — the month
  14. row — to paddle
  15. pass — a permit
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. row — a line
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. craft — a skill
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. stem — to come from
  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