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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. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. board — to get on
  3. bound — tied together
  4. branch — of a bank
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. rash — hasty
  9. content — the amount
  10. content — happy
  11. bound — certain
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. stock — shares
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. stock — goods
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. bound — obliged
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. branch — a division
  21. board — a flat piece
  22. rash — a series
  23. rash — on the skin
  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