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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mug — a face
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. stock — shares
  5. board — a committee
  6. stock — goods
  7. march — music
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. rock — a stone
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. rush — hurry
  12. fall — to drop
  13. board — to get on
  14. mug — to rob
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. march — the month
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. rock — music
  22. mug — a cup
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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