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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  10. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  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. saw — past of 'see'
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. branch — a division
  4. kid — child
  5. saw — the tool
  6. march — music
  7. stock — goods
  8. content — the amount
  9. branch — of a tree
  10. branch — of a bank
  11. march — the month
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. content — happy
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. stock — shares
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. kid — to tease
  21. saw — the tool
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. hide — to keep secret
  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