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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. pass — a permit
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. march — the month
  6. stock — shares
  7. last — finally
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. net — after costs
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. last — to go on
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. net — in sport
  17. rock — a stone
  18. rock — music
  19. net — for catching
  20. march — music
  21. last — final
  22. stock — goods
  23. deal — to handle
  24. deal — an agreement

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