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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. hand — in cards
  3. mark — a grade
  4. bear — the animal
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. bound — certain
  7. stock — goods
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stock — shares
  12. season — in sport
  13. cell — in biology
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. season — of the year
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. cell — a phone
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. dip — to sink
  21. mark — a trace
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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