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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. fine — all right
  3. mate — to breed
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. jam — a tight spot
  7. season — in sport
  8. mate — a partner
  9. march — music
  10. mate — a friend
  11. roll — a cake
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. march — the month
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. fine — high quality
  18. stock — goods
  19. roll — a list
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. stock — shares
  22. march — the month
  23. season — of the year
  24. season — to add flavour

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