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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. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  5. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a face
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. dip — to dunk
  5. dip — to sink
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. coach — pulled by horses
  9. mug — to rob
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. pound — to hit hard
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bound — certain
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. pound — a weight
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. mug — a cup
  20. stock — shares
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bound — obliged
  24. stock — goods

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