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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. march — music
  3. bat — the animal
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. ball — a great time
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. stock — goods
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. root — of a word
  12. march — the month
  13. march — the month
  14. stock — shares
  15. root — the cause
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. lie — to recline
  19. ball — a dance
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. root — of a plant
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. ball — a round shape

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