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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. game — a match
  3. swing — music
  4. mate — to breed
  5. mate — a partner
  6. can — a tin
  7. chest — of your body
  8. march — music
  9. game — wild animals
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stock — shares
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. chest — of your body
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. can — a tin
  19. mate — a friend
  20. swing — in golf
  21. march — the month
  22. chest — a box
  23. can — to be able to
  24. stock — goods

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