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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  13. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. swing — music
  4. swing — to play on
  5. spring — of water
  6. stock — goods
  7. bound — tied together
  8. fine — all right
  9. stock — shares
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bowl — to roll
  13. spring — the season
  14. spring — a coil
  15. pass — a permit
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bound — obliged
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. bound — certain
  23. cell — a phone
  24. cell — in biology

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