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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. Have you met the new head ________________?
  11. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. pit — a hole
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. mark — a grade
  6. pit — in a race
  7. stock — goods
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. scale — in music
  15. stock — shares
  16. scale — for weighing
  17. bass — low music
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. march — music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. scale — size or range

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