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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. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  2. march — music
  3. firm — a company
  4. kid — to tease
  5. firm — decided
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. march — the month
  10. stock — shares
  11. march — the month
  12. season — of the year
  13. roll — a cake
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. kid — child
  16. roll — a list
  17. stock — goods
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. season — in sport
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. scale — in music
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. firm — steady

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