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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bound — obliged
  3. pound — a weight
  4. tube — the underground
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. face — to confront
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. face — part of the head
  10. cell — a phone
  11. tube — a container
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cell — in biology
  14. stock — shares
  15. wind — moving air
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. wind — moving air
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bound — tied together
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. plane — a tool
  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