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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. object — to protest
  3. march — the month
  4. snap — to click
  5. file — a line of people
  6. key — the most important part
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. key — in music
  12. file — a tool
  13. stock — goods
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. march — music
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. file — a document
  19. rock — a stone
  20. march — the month
  21. key — for a lock
  22. object — a thing
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. object — an aim

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