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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  16. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stock — shares
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. pound — to hit hard
  7. bound — certain
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. pound — a weight
  11. stock — goods
  12. wound — an injury
  13. march — the month
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. wound — an injury
  16. coach — pulled by horses
  17. bound — tied together
  18. lie — to recline
  19. bound — obliged
  20. net — for catching
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — in sport
  24. pound — for dogs

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