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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. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. row — to paddle
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. bound — obliged
  5. pit — in a race
  6. content — the amount
  7. swing — in golf
  8. bound — certain
  9. content — happy
  10. bound — tied together
  11. pit — a hole
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. stock — shares
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. stock — goods
  18. row — a line

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