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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bulb · key · swing · stock · row · march · mate · plane

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. This piece is in a major ________________.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. I've got to change the light ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. key — the most important part
  3. key — in music
  4. row — a line
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. march — the month
  7. stock — shares
  8. mate — to breed
  9. bulb — for light
  10. row — to paddle
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. plane — a tool
  13. swing — to play on
  14. mate — a friend
  15. march — the month
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. key — for a lock
  18. swing — music
  19. march — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. bulb — for light
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. plane — in geometry
  24. mate — a partner

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