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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 116 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. This piece is in a major ________________.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. rock — music
  3. march — the month
  4. board — to get on
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. board — a committee
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — a partner
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. key — the most important part
  12. mate — to breed
  13. row — to paddle
  14. march — music
  15. key — for a lock
  16. row — a line
  17. stock — goods
  18. prune — to trim
  19. key — in music
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rock — a stone
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. board — a flat piece
  24. march — the month

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