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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. drill — the tool
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — goods
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. charge — electricity
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. drill — a practice
  13. file — a tool
  14. march — music
  15. charge — a price
  16. march — the month
  17. drill — army training
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. file — a line of people
  20. charge — in control
  21. file — a document
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. date — the fruit

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