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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. march — the month
  4. pop — soda
  5. ground — a position
  6. stock — goods
  7. bear — the animal
  8. march — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. mate — to breed
  11. stock — shares
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. pit — in a race
  14. march — the month
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bear — the animal
  17. ground — crushed
  18. pit — a hole
  19. mate — a partner
  20. staff — employees
  21. bear — to put up with
  22. pop — music
  23. mate — a friend
  24. ground — the earth

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