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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. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  21. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. stock — shares
  3. march — the month
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. ball — a great time
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rock — a stone
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. ball — a dance
  10. bank — for money
  11. tube — a container
  12. rock — music
  13. clip — to cut
  14. bank — of a river
  15. clip — for paper
  16. march — music
  17. clip — a video
  18. bank — for money
  19. stock — goods
  20. hide — animal skin
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. march — the month
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. hide — to keep secret

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