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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 116 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: content · lie · ruler · march · branch · ground · sharp · stock

  1. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  18. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. march — music
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. march — the month
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. content — happy
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. march — the month
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. stock — goods
  14. lie — to recline
  15. ground — crushed
  16. ground — a position
  17. branch — a division
  18. content — the amount
  19. sharp — clever
  20. branch — of a bank
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. ground — the earth
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. sharp — with an edge

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