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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. We're almost out of ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  18. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stock — goods
  4. pop — soda
  5. file — a document
  6. fan — a supporter
  7. present — the time now
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. file — a line of people
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. present — there
  12. pop — music
  13. file — a tool
  14. stock — shares
  15. rash — hasty
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. hand — in cards
  18. bound — obliged
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. hand — help
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. present — a gift
  23. pop — to visit
  24. bound — certain

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