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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 band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. stock — shares
  3. calf — of the leg
  4. band — a ring
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. march — the month
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. band — a music group
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. row — to paddle
  15. mate — a partner
  16. mate — a friend
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. march — the month
  20. row — a line
  21. stock — goods
  22. mate — to breed
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. foot — a measure

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