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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 120 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fork — in a road
  4. court — of a king
  5. march — music
  6. fork — to eat with
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. spell — magic
  10. spell — letters
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. spell — a short time
  14. wound — an injury
  15. wound — an injury
  16. march — the month
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. stock — goods
  19. march — the month
  20. court — of law
  21. court — for sport
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. nail — for a hammer

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