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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pop — soda
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. march — the month
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pop — music
  8. present — a gift
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. prune — the fruit
  11. present — the time now
  12. face — part of the head
  13. chair — a leader
  14. present — there
  15. fine — all right
  16. fine — high quality
  17. face — to point toward
  18. prune — to trim
  19. march — music
  20. stock — shares
  21. prune — to trim
  22. face — to confront
  23. stock — goods
  24. fine — a penalty

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