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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. staff — employees
  3. march — the month
  4. pop — to visit
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. pop — soda
  8. object — a thing
  9. staff — employees
  10. pop — music
  11. pit — in a race
  12. object — to protest
  13. stock — goods
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. object — an aim
  16. stock — shares
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. march — music
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. hand — in cards
  22. pit — a hole
  23. hand — help
  24. march — the month

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