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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. swing — to play on
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. march — music
  5. rash — a series
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. stock — goods
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. wax — to grow
  10. bore — to drill
  11. march — the month
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. wax — in the ear
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. march — the month
  17. swing — in golf
  18. rash — hasty
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. wax — for sculpting
  21. bore — to tire
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. swing — music
  24. stock — a soup base

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