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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. stock — shares
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. march — the month
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. date — the fruit
  10. ball — a dance
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. march — the month
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. ball — a great time
  15. roll — a cake
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. bat — the animal
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. march — music
  20. pass — a permit
  21. roll — a list
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. racket — a loud noise

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