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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Can you turn the ________________ on?

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. staff — a stick
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. face — part of the head
  5. stock — goods
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. staff — employees
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. face — to confront
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. face — to point toward
  14. stock — shares
  15. bound — tied together
  16. staff — employees
  17. leaves — to go away
  18. bound — obliged
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. bound — certain
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. fine — all right
  24. fan — to cool the air

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