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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 120 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. You don't need to ________________ round.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. What do you think of the new ________________?
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. can — a tin
  3. bound — certain
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. season — in sport
  6. can — a tin
  7. track — a path
  8. pop — to visit
  9. track — a song
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. bound — tied together
  13. pop — music
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. can — to be able to
  16. pop — soda
  17. stock — shares
  18. track — to keep track
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. season — of the year
  21. mate — to breed
  22. mate — a partner
  23. stock — goods
  24. bound — obliged

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