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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. object — an aim
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. net — for catching
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. rest — a break
  10. branch — of a tree
  11. branch — a division
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. stock — shares
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. net — after costs
  16. rest — what's left
  17. sharp — clever
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. stock — goods
  20. object — a thing
  21. rest — what's left
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. object — to protest
  24. straw — a straw man

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