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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  3. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. firm — a company
  3. firm — decided
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. march — music
  6. branch — a division
  7. foot — the bottom
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. march — the month
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. firm — steady
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. drill — the tool
  18. drill — a practice
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. drill — army training
  21. foot — a measure
  22. stock — goods
  23. stock — shares
  24. march — the month

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