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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  12. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. bank — for money
  3. wind — moving air
  4. bank — of a river
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. rash — hasty
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. march — the month
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. chip — for betting
  12. wind — moving air
  13. stock — goods
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. stock — shares
  16. march — the month
  17. bank — for money
  18. press — newspapers
  19. press — a publisher
  20. rash — a series
  21. chip — to eat
  22. press — to push
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. pitcher — a jug

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