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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 sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. bark — to shout
  3. march — the month
  4. stock — shares
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. pit — in a race
  7. last — to go on
  8. fine — all right
  9. march — music
  10. last — final
  11. march — the month
  12. pop — music
  13. fine — high quality
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. pit — a hole
  16. pop — soda
  17. last — finally
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. bark — of a tree
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. bark — a dog's sound

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