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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. When are we going to ________________?
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. season — of the year
  3. march — the month
  4. rock — a stone
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stock — shares
  9. mark — a grade
  10. stock — goods
  11. can — a tin
  12. can — a tin
  13. land — a country
  14. land — ground
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. chest — a box
  17. season — in sport
  18. chest — of your body
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. march — the month
  21. land — to come down
  22. mark — a trace
  23. march — music
  24. can — to be able to

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