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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. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. march — the month
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. roll — a cake
  11. stock — shares
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. dip — to sink
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. stock — goods
  17. key — in music
  18. pound — a weight
  19. march — the month
  20. key — for a lock
  21. march — music
  22. chair — a leader
  23. key — the most important part
  24. dip — a sauce

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