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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. drill — army training
  3. drill — the tool
  4. march — the month
  5. stock — shares
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. lie — to recline
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. chair — a leader
  10. march — the month
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. march — music
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. drill — a practice
  22. fork — in a road
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. stock — goods

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