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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. drill — army training
  6. object — an aim
  7. drill — a practice
  8. branch — a division
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — a trace
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. stock — goods
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — a thing
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. branch — of a tree

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