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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  24. The flowers bloom in the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. object — a thing
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mate — a friend
  6. stock — shares
  7. squash — the sport
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. object — an aim
  10. stock — goods
  11. object — to protest
  12. march — the month
  13. mate — to breed
  14. squash — to crush
  15. toast — a drink to someone
  16. capital — a city
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. mate — a partner
  20. spring — a coil
  21. capital — money
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. spring — of water
  24. spring — the season

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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