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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. firm — steady
  3. bat — the animal
  4. stock — shares
  5. fall — to drop
  6. firm — decided
  7. spell — a short time
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. stock — goods
  10. rule — government
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. rule — a law
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. spell — magic
  15. file — a tool
  16. bound — certain
  17. file — a document
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bound — obliged
  20. file — a line of people
  21. firm — a company
  22. fall — the season
  23. fall — to drop
  24. spell — letters

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