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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 124 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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — a tight spot
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. march — the month
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. cell — a phone
  6. mark — a trace
  7. stock — shares
  8. cell — in biology
  9. stock — goods
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. march — music
  15. bat — the animal
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. mark — a grade
  23. branch — a division
  24. march — the month

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