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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. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  7. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  8. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  9. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. You don't need to ________________ round.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  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 — shares
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a great time
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. pop — music
  7. bark — of a tree
  8. vault — in gymnastics
  9. board — a committee
  10. pop — soda
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. bark — to shout
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. board — to get on
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. pop — to visit
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. branch — of a bank
  22. branch — a division
  23. vault — a safe
  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