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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  6. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  17. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.

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. spring — a coil
  4. kick — in football
  5. kick — with a leg
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. fall — to drop
  9. march — the month
  10. ball — a dance
  11. stock — shares
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. march — music
  14. date — the fruit
  15. march — the month
  16. plane — a tool
  17. kick — a thrill
  18. spring — the season
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. spring — of water
  21. ball — a great time
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. fall — the season
  24. fall — to drop

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