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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. bound — certain
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. bound — obliged
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. mug — to rob
  9. row — to paddle
  10. stock — goods
  11. bound — tied together
  12. wax — for sculpting
  13. present — there
  14. row — a line
  15. stock — shares
  16. hand — help
  17. mug — a face
  18. wax — to grow
  19. mug — a cup
  20. hand — in cards
  21. wax — in the ear
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. present — the time now
  24. pitcher — a jug

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