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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. When will it ________________ you to start?
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. march — music
  3. stock — goods
  4. kick — with a leg
  5. squash — the sport
  6. squash — to crush
  7. march — the month
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. scale — size or range
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. suit — in cards
  13. scale — in music
  14. rash — a series
  15. suit — to fit
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. fork — in a road
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. suit — clothes
  22. march — the month
  23. kick — in football
  24. rash — hasty

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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