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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. spell — a short time
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. march — music
  5. mark — a grade
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. stock — goods
  11. bank — of a river
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bat — the animal
  14. march — the month
  15. sharp — clever
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bank — for money
  19. stock — shares
  20. mark — a trace
  21. bank — for money
  22. spell — magic
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. spell — letters

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