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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. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  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. band — a ring
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. deal — to handle
  4. march — the month
  5. deal — a big deal
  6. pit — in a race
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. stock — shares
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. march — the month
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — to breed
  14. mate — a friend
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. band — a music group
  17. pit — a hole
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. stock — goods
  20. mate — a partner
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. fork — in a road
  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