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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. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bank — for money
  2. stock — goods
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. straw — dry grass
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. fork — in a road
  9. bank — for money
  10. net — in sport
  11. stock — shares
  12. net — after costs
  13. season — in sport
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. scale — size or range
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. season — of the year
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. scale — in music
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. chair — a leader
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. bank — of a river
  24. net — for catching

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