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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. branch — a division
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. drill — the tool
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. face — to point toward
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. face — to confront
  10. stand — to bear
  11. stock — shares
  12. stand — on your feet
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. row — to paddle
  15. branch — of a tree
  16. drill — army training
  17. track — a path
  18. sharp — clever
  19. track — a song
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. face — part of the head
  22. drill — a practice
  23. row — a line
  24. track — to keep track

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