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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'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. foot — a measure
  5. march — music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. march — the month
  8. scale — in music
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mark — a trace
  11. chest — of your body
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. mark — a grade
  15. stock — goods
  16. march — the month
  17. bank — of a river
  18. bank — for money
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. chest — a box
  21. mark — to pay attention
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. stock — shares
  24. scale — size or range

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