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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 120 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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  24. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stock — shares
  3. fall — to drop
  4. march — the month
  5. press — to push
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. fall — the season
  8. track — a song
  9. press — a publisher
  10. march — the month
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. march — music
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. mine — for digging
  15. bank — for money
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. bank — for money
  18. track — a path
  19. fall — to drop
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. track — to keep track
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. press — newspapers
  24. bank — of a river

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