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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. It's one o'clock ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bear — the animal
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stock — shares
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. bound — tied together
  7. stock — goods
  8. rash — a series
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. fork — in a road
  14. shower — to wash
  15. track — a song
  16. rash — hasty
  17. track — to keep track
  18. bound — obliged
  19. shower — rain
  20. track — a path
  21. sharp — exactly
  22. sharp — clever
  23. fork — a garden tool
  24. stock — a soup base

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