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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. pitch — completely
  7. branch — a division
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. squash — the sport
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. track — a path
  12. lie — to recline
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stock — goods
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. track — a song
  18. bear — to put up with
  19. track — to keep track
  20. bear — the animal
  21. squash — to crush
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. patient — a sick person

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