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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. The ________________ took off on time.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. This piece is in a major ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.

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

Answer key

  1. plane — an aircraft
  2. bass — low music
  3. stock — goods
  4. leaves — to go away
  5. march — music
  6. stock — shares
  7. snap — to click
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. march — the month
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wound — an injury
  13. key — in music
  14. bass — the fish
  15. plane — a tool
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. wound — an injury
  19. key — the most important part
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. key — for a lock
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. march — the month
  24. leaves — lets stay

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