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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. staff — a stick
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. march — music
  5. rule — government
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. staff — employees
  11. kid — child
  12. content — happy
  13. fan — to cool the air
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. kid — to tease
  16. stock — goods
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. rule — a law
  20. staff — employees
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. march — the month
  24. content — the amount

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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