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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  19. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — shares
  4. can — a tin
  5. can — a tin
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. present — a gift
  8. shower — to wash
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. cue — a hint
  11. shower — rain
  12. mine — for digging
  13. present — the time now
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. stock — goods
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. cue — for pool
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. cue — a signal
  20. branch — a division
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. branch — of a bank
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. present — there

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