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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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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. dip — to sink
  3. stock — goods
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. stock — shares
  8. content — happy
  9. hand — in cards
  10. band — a ring
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. band — a music group
  13. bound — certain
  14. content — the amount
  15. band — a rubber band
  16. bound — obliged
  17. bound — tied together
  18. dip — to dunk

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