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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. staff — employees
  3. stock — shares
  4. march — the month
  5. spell — magic
  6. club — for golf
  7. bowl — a dish
  8. band — a music group
  9. staff — a stick
  10. march — music
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. band — a ring
  13. rush — hurry
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. spell — letters
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. staff — employees
  18. stock — goods
  19. club — a group
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. club — for dancing
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. spell — a short time

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