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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: march · last · field · net · rock · mate · lash · stock

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. rock — music
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. march — the month
  5. last — final
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. march — music
  8. mate — a partner
  9. field — farmland
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. last — to go on
  12. net — for catching
  13. net — after costs
  14. mate — a friend
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. stock — shares
  17. rock — a stone
  18. march — the month
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. last — finally
  21. net — in sport
  22. field — a subject
  23. field — for sport
  24. mate — to breed

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