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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. hand — help
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. bank — for money
  6. fine — high quality
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rule — government
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fine — all right
  13. perch — the fish
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. hand — in cards
  16. stock — goods
  17. rule — a law
  18. branch — a division
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bank — for money
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. bank — of a river
  24. pitch — completely

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