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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. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  16. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a round shape
  2. drill — a practice
  3. ball — a dance
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. march — the month
  8. cell — in biology
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. present — there
  11. present — a gift
  12. drill — the tool
  13. press — newspapers
  14. ball — a great time
  15. press — a publisher
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. march — the month
  18. present — the time now
  19. drill — army training
  20. stock — shares
  21. march — music
  22. press — to push
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. coach — a trainer

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