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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. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. bat — the animal
  3. stick — to attach or keep to
  4. scale — size or range
  5. charge — electricity
  6. dip — to sink
  7. toast — bread
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. charge — in control
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. branch — of a bank
  15. stock — goods
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. stock — shares
  20. charge — a price
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. branch — a division

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