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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. mark — a trace
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. safe — out of danger
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. season — in sport
  9. march — the month
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. mark — a grade
  12. rest — a break
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stock — goods
  16. season — of the year
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. stock — shares
  20. rest — what's left
  21. march — the month
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. march — music
  24. cabinet — ministers

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