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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: cold · march · pitcher · jam · fine · stock · rest · spell

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. march — the month
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. march — music
  6. march — the month
  7. rest — a break
  8. spell — a short time
  9. spell — magic
  10. stock — goods
  11. rest — what's left
  12. fine — high quality
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. spell — letters
  16. cold — an illness
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. jam — a tight spot
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. rest — what's left

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