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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 120 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 cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. march — music
  2. prune — to trim
  3. suit — clothes
  4. rule — to rule out
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. rule — government
  7. rule — a law
  8. stock — goods
  9. suit — to fit
  10. club — a group
  11. club — for dancing
  12. shower — to wash
  13. prune — to trim
  14. spring — of water
  15. spring — a coil
  16. suit — in cards
  17. prune — the fruit
  18. march — the month
  19. spring — the season
  20. club — for golf
  21. march — the month
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. shower — rain
  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