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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  3. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  23. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mine — for digging
  3. stand — on your feet
  4. bound — certain
  5. band — a music group
  6. drill — a practice
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. stand — to bear
  9. content — videos and posts
  10. content — the amount
  11. stock — shares
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — army training
  14. band — a ring
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. lean — to bend
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bound — tied together
  19. lean — to rest against
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. content — happy
  23. lean — thin
  24. bound — obliged

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