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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. march — the month
  5. stock — goods
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. craft — a skill
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. chair — a leader
  11. board — to get on
  12. craft — a handicraft
  13. march — the month
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. pit — in a race
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. pit — a hole
  19. craft — boats
  20. stock — shares
  21. board — a committee
  22. prune — the fruit
  23. prune — to trim
  24. prune — to trim

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