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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  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. stock — shares
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stock — goods
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. branch — of a tree
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. dip — to sink
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. branch — a division
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. field — for sport
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. cold — not warm
  15. field — a subject
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. cold — an illness
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. leaves — of a tree
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. field — farmland
  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