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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  12. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  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. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. march — music
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. march — the month
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. chest — of your body
  10. march — the month
  11. branch — of a bank
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. pass — a permit
  16. wound — past of 'wind'
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wound — an injury
  20. wound — an injury
  21. chest — a box
  22. branch — a division
  23. branch — of a tree
  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