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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  2. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. kid — child
  3. mate — a partner
  4. present — there
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. mug — to rob
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. bulb — for light
  11. stock — shares
  12. kid — to tease
  13. bulb — of a plant
  14. mate — a friend
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. present — a gift
  17. march — the month
  18. stock — goods
  19. mate — to breed
  20. present — the time now
  21. mug — a cup
  22. march — the month
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. mug — a face

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