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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 120 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 ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. dip — a sauce
  3. stock — goods
  4. last — final
  5. staff — employees
  6. last — to go on
  7. march — the month
  8. staff — employees
  9. wax — to grow
  10. march — music
  11. stock — shares
  12. swing — music
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. track — to keep track
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. dip — to sink
  17. last — finally
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. swing — in golf
  20. track — a path
  21. track — a song
  22. staff — a stick
  23. swing — to play on
  24. stock — a soup base

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