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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 ________________ up on opposing sides.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. wound — past of 'wind'
  2. march — the month
  3. march — music
  4. stock — shares
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. mark — a grade
  7. squash — to crush
  8. swing — to play on
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. wound — an injury
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. march — the month
  18. squash — the sport
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. mark — a trace
  21. stock — goods
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. pass — a permit
  24. pass — to succeed

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