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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. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. pit — a hole
  3. date — the fruit
  4. key — the most important part
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. can — a tin
  7. stock — goods
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. stock — shares
  10. key — for a lock
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. pit — in a race
  14. can — to be able to
  15. mark — a grade
  16. key — in music
  17. mark — a trace
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. can — a tin
  21. branch — a division
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. stock — a soup base

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