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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. fork — in a road
  4. charge — electricity
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. straw — to clutch at straws
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. charge — in control
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. charge — a price
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. march — the month
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. pound — a weight
  19. rule — government
  20. branch — of a tree
  21. branch — a division
  22. march — the month
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. march — music

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