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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. stock — shares
  3. branch — a division
  4. rash — hasty
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. ball — a great time
  7. jam — in traffic
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. root — of a plant
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rash — a series
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. root — the cause
  16. root — of a word
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. sharp — clever
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. stock — goods
  24. ruler — a monarch

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