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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. track — a path
  7. staff — employees
  8. kid — child
  9. craft — boats
  10. staff — a stick
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. track — to keep track
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. bound — obliged
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bound — tied together
  18. bound — certain
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. craft — a skill
  21. track — a song
  22. staff — employees
  23. kid — to tease
  24. craft — a handicraft

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