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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. staff — employees
  4. key — the most important part
  5. staff — employees
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. can — a tin
  8. season — in sport
  9. can — a tin
  10. stock — goods
  11. row — a line
  12. key — in music
  13. stock — shares
  14. bound — certain
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. bound — tied together
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. key — for a lock
  19. can — to be able to
  20. staff — a stick
  21. deal — to handle
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. row — to paddle
  24. season — of the year

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