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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. This piece is in a major ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. The light ________________ burned out.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  17. We're almost out of ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. I've got to change the light ________________.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. stock — shares
  3. pop — music
  4. key — in music
  5. ball — a great time
  6. snap — to snap out of it
  7. tear — from crying
  8. tear — from crying
  9. ball — a dance
  10. pop — to visit
  11. bulb — for light
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. tear — to rip
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. snap — to click
  16. key — for a lock
  17. pop — soda
  18. bound — tied together
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. stock — goods
  22. bound — certain
  23. bulb — for light
  24. key — the most important part

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