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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. Did you ________________ the button?
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. branch — of a tree
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. lie — to recline
  5. pitch — completely
  6. march — the month
  7. press — a publisher
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. press — to push
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. court — of law
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. stock — shares
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. court — of a king
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. court — for sport
  20. march — the month
  21. stock — goods
  22. march — music
  23. press — newspapers
  24. branch — a division

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