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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.

Make a worksheet

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. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  22. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. plane — in geometry
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. can — a tin
  6. march — music
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. can — to be able to
  10. stock — shares
  11. stock — goods
  12. march — the month
  13. chair — a leader
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. can — a tin
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. march — the month
  21. straw — dry grass
  22. branch — a division
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bay — a horse colour

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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