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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. mate — to breed
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. march — the month
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. mate — a partner
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — shares
  10. chest — of your body
  11. spring — of water
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. chest — a box
  15. march — the month
  16. spring — the season
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. chest — of your body
  20. spring — a coil
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  24. march — music

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