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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. mine — for digging
  3. rock — music
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. branch — of a bank
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. race — humankind
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. suit — in cards
  11. race — the arms race
  12. suit — to fit
  13. race — a contest
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. branch — a division
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. chair — a leader
  20. suit — clothes
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. stock — shares
  23. rock — a stone
  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