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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 will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  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. march — the month
  2. stock — shares
  3. present — there
  4. craft — boats
  5. face — part of the head
  6. stem — to come from
  7. march — music
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stem — a stem cell
  10. face — to point toward
  11. rash — hasty
  12. face — to confront
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. rash — a series
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. craft — a skill
  19. stock — goods
  20. present — a gift
  21. present — the time now
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — the animal
  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