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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. march — the month
  4. last — to go on
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. last — final
  7. march — music
  8. sharp — clever
  9. drill — army training
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. toast — bread
  16. drill — a practice
  17. last — finally
  18. march — the month
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. fine — all right
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. drill — the tool
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. toast — the most admired

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