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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. march — music
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. hand — in cards
  5. march — the month
  6. bowl — a dish
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. key — the most important part
  9. season — in sport
  10. stock — goods
  11. ground — a position
  12. object — a thing
  13. season — of the year
  14. ground — the earth
  15. ground — crushed
  16. stock — shares
  17. key — in music
  18. march — the month
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. hand — help
  21. key — for a lock
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. object — an aim
  24. bowl — to roll

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