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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. stock — goods
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. vault — in gymnastics
  5. march — the month
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. vault — a safe
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. stock — shares
  11. field — farmland
  12. date — the fruit
  13. perch — the fish
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. field — a subject
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. march — music
  18. march — the month
  19. pop — soda
  20. pop — music
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. field — for sport

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