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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 120 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 have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The ________________ change colour in autumn.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. stock — goods
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. fork — in a road
  6. march — music
  7. band — a music group
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. stock — shares
  10. wound — an injury
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. march — the month
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. foot — a measure
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. band — a ring
  18. wound — an injury
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. leaves — of a tree

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