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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  7. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. land — a country
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stock — goods
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. safe — a strongbox
  7. land — ground
  8. march — music
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mate — a partner
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. pitch — completely
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. march — the month
  17. chair — a leader
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bear — the animal
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. mate — a friend
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. stock — shares
  24. land — to come down

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