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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. The ________________ took off on time.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. He was locked up in a ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. plane — a tool
  3. march — music
  4. plane — an aircraft
  5. can — a tin
  6. can — a tin
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. stock — shares
  9. bass — low music
  10. cell — a phone
  11. lie — to recline
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. bass — the fish
  14. march — the month
  15. can — to be able to
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. cell — in a prison
  19. march — the month
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. stock — goods
  22. cell — in biology
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. plane — in geometry

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