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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. game — wild animals
  4. cap — a lid
  5. march — the month
  6. stock — goods
  7. branch — a division
  8. mug — a face
  9. pitch — completely
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. mug — a cup
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. mug — to rob
  14. staff — employees
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. staff — employees
  17. cap — a hat
  18. staff — a stick
  19. cap — of ice
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. game — a match
  22. march — music
  23. march — the month
  24. branch — of a bank

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