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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stock — shares
  3. march — music
  4. chest — of your body
  5. rule — government
  6. march — the month
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. season — of the year
  9. wax — in the ear
  10. season — in sport
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. chest — a box
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. rule — a law
  16. chest — of your body
  17. squash — to crush
  18. wax — to grow
  19. squash — the sport
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. stock — goods
  24. mouse — the animal

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