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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  10. False peace will not ________________.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. stock — shares
  6. clip — for paper
  7. last — final
  8. bound — certain
  9. bowl — to roll
  10. last — to go on
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. suit — clothes
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bound — obliged
  15. saw — the tool
  16. pop — music
  17. clip — to cut
  18. clip — a video
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. suit — in cards
  21. saw — the tool
  22. pop — soda
  23. last — finally
  24. pop — to visit

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