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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  15. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. stock — shares
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. bound — certain
  5. track — to keep track
  6. bound — tied together
  7. drill — a practice
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. stock — goods
  10. track — a song
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bound — obliged
  13. drill — the tool
  14. capital — a city
  15. fine — all right
  16. net — after costs
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. drill — army training
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. net — in sport
  21. track — a path
  22. net — for catching
  23. capital — money
  24. fine — high quality

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