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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  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. row — a line
  2. march — the month
  3. drill — the tool
  4. firm — a company
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. march — the month
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. drill — army training
  9. firm — steady
  10. pop — music
  11. row — to paddle
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. stock — goods
  14. pass — a permit
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. pop — soda
  18. drill — a practice
  19. firm — decided
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pop — to visit
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. row — a quarrel
  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