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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. She's very handy with a ________________.
  18. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. track — to keep track
  3. stock — goods
  4. march — the month
  5. track — a song
  6. wake — a trail
  7. track — a path
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. march — music
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pitch — completely
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. saw — the tool
  18. pitch — a sales talk
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. stock — shares
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wake — before a funeral
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. march — the month

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