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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. My mare is ________________ in color.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. content — happy
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. bound — certain
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. rash — hasty
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. band — a music group
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bound — obliged
  11. band — a ring
  12. cabinet — a cupboard
  13. content — the amount
  14. bay — a horse colour
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. rash — a series
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. content — videos and posts
  21. bound — tied together
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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