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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fine — high quality
  3. rest — what's left
  4. stock — shares
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rest — what's left
  9. content — the amount
  10. fine — all right
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. pass — to spend time
  14. content — happy
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. rest — a break
  19. pass — a permit
  20. sharp — clever
  21. bound — obliged
  22. wound — an injury
  23. bound — certain
  24. wound — an injury

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