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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. When was this ________________ built?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. fine — all right
  6. straw — to clutch at straws
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. branch — a division
  10. bore — to tire
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. bat — the animal
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bore — to drill
  18. temple — side of the head
  19. content — happy
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. stock — goods
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. fine — high quality
  24. content — the amount

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