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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  8. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bore — to tire
  4. present — a gift
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. march — music
  7. march — the month
  8. present — there
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. hand — help
  13. bore — to drill
  14. bass — the fish
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. season — of the year
  17. stock — goods
  18. hand — part of the body
  19. bass — low music
  20. stock — shares
  21. rush — hurry
  22. season — in sport
  23. march — the month
  24. hand — in cards

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