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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. tube — the underground
  4. season — of the year
  5. march — the month
  6. stock — goods
  7. mug — a cup
  8. stand — to bear
  9. fine — high quality
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. tube — a container
  12. march — music
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. ground — a position
  16. stock — shares
  17. mug — to rob
  18. ground — crushed
  19. season — in sport
  20. march — the month
  21. fine — all right
  22. ground — the earth
  23. stand — for spectators
  24. fine — a penalty

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