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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 116 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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. branch — of a bank
  3. ball — a great time
  4. wind — moving air
  5. key — for a lock
  6. land — ground
  7. rest — what's left
  8. branch — a division
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. key — in music
  12. rest — a break
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. stock — shares
  15. ball — a dance
  16. key — the most important part
  17. land — a country
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. land — to come down
  20. wind — moving air
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. stock — goods

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