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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. march — music
  3. pass — to spend time
  4. squash — the sport
  5. march — the month
  6. file — a tool
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. file — a line of people
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. pass — a permit
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. pass — to succeed
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. spring — a coil
  16. file — a document
  17. roll — a cake
  18. roll — a list
  19. spring — the season
  20. squash — to crush
  21. spring — of water
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. mouse — for a computer
  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