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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. foot — part of the body
  5. mate — a partner
  6. branch — of a tree
  7. track — a path
  8. chest — a box
  9. kid — to tease
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. track — to keep track
  12. chest — of your body
  13. foot — a measure
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. branch — a division
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. chest — of your body
  18. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  19. mate — to breed
  20. stock — shares
  21. mate — a friend
  22. track — a song
  23. stock — goods
  24. branch — of a bank

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