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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. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. march — the month
  3. charge — in control
  4. field — for sport
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. field — farmland
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. stock — shares
  10. field — a subject
  11. bass — the fish
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. charge — electricity
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. march — music
  17. stock — goods
  18. branch — a division
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — low music
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. charge — a price
  24. stock — a soup base

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