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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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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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. chair — a leader
  5. stock — goods
  6. scale — in music
  7. rule — a law
  8. net — for catching
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. rule — government
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. branch — of a bank
  14. scale — size or range
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. net — after costs
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. net — in sport
  21. branch — a division
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. stock — shares
  24. chair — to sit on

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