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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 116 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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. present — a gift
  3. bowl — a football final
  4. stock — goods
  5. wound — an injury
  6. present — the time now
  7. branch — a division
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. branch — of a tree
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. present — there
  14. bowl — a dish
  15. wound — an injury
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. pitch — completely

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