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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. We're almost out of ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. rule — a law
  3. saw — the tool
  4. rule — government
  5. pop — to visit
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. bat — the animal
  8. foot — a measure
  9. branch — of a bank
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pop — soda
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. saw — the tool
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. branch — a division
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. board — to get on
  24. board — a committee

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