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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The water is too ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — a strongbox
  2. charge — in control
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. branch — a division
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. charge — electricity
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. stock — shares
  10. cold — not warm
  11. season — of the year
  12. season — in sport
  13. charge — a price
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. stock — goods
  16. fork — in a road
  17. cold — an illness
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cell — in biology
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cell — a phone
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. branch — of a tree

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