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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  16. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  17. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. present — a gift
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. object — an aim
  6. scale — size or range
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. land — ground
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. present — there
  11. land — to come down
  12. object — to protest
  13. scale — in music
  14. march — music
  15. object — a thing
  16. stem — a stem cell
  17. present — the time now
  18. march — the month
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. march — the month
  21. sharp — clever
  22. land — a country
  23. stock — shares
  24. stem — to come from

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