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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 116 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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. tear — from crying
  3. march — music
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. scale — in music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. march — the month
  8. stock — shares
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bass — low music
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. tear — to rip
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. scale — size or range
  15. march — the month
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. tear — from crying
  20. stock — goods
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. deal — to handle
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bay — a part of the sea

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