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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pass — a permit
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. stock — goods
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. bound — obliged
  9. wake — a trail
  10. present — the time now
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. stock — shares
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. bound — certain
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. row — a line
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. present — there
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. wake — to stop sleeping
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. row — to paddle

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