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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 120 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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  13. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  14. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. march — the month
  2. stock — shares
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. branch — a division
  7. chest — of your body
  8. march — music
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. board — a committee
  12. branch — of a tree
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. row — a line
  17. chest — of your body
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. row — to paddle
  20. stock — goods
  21. board — to get on
  22. chest — a box
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. march — the month

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