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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — there
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bound — certain
  5. bound — tied together
  6. march — the month
  7. present — a gift
  8. stock — shares
  9. rest — what's left
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. season — of the year
  12. bound — obliged
  13. march — the month
  14. sharp — clever
  15. field — a subject
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. stock — goods
  18. field — farmland
  19. rest — what's left
  20. march — music
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. rest — a break
  23. season — in sport
  24. field — for sport

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