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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. march — the month
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. degree — temperature
  5. march — the month
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. degree — an amount
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. stock — shares
  13. lie — to recline
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. degree — from a university
  16. track — a song
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. track — to keep track
  19. board — a committee
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. march — music
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. plane — a tool
  24. track — a path

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