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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. He works in a ________________ mill.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  17. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  18. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. branch — a division
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. saw — the tool
  5. court — of law
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. fine — high quality
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. fine — all right
  12. bank — for money
  13. saw — the tool
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. court — for sport
  16. leaves — to go away
  17. branch — of a bank
  18. fine — a penalty
  19. court — of a king
  20. saw — past of 'see'
  21. bank — for money
  22. stock — shares
  23. bank — of a river
  24. sharp — clever

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