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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. He was locked up in a ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in a prison
  2. march — the month
  3. spell — a short time
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. bass — low music
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. cell — in biology
  10. march — music
  11. spell — magic
  12. deal — to handle
  13. bass — the fish
  14. stock — goods
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. root — of a plant
  17. root — of a word
  18. march — the month
  19. cell — a phone
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. spell — letters
  23. root — the cause
  24. stock — shares

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