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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. bound — tied together
  2. craft — a skill
  3. file — a tool
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. bound — obliged
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. stock — shares
  8. wind — moving air
  9. rash — hasty
  10. track — a song
  11. file — a document
  12. craft — boats
  13. stock — goods
  14. track — to keep track
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. rash — a series
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. file — a line of people
  19. track — a path
  20. wind — moving air
  21. bound — certain
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. lie — to recline
  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