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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fine — high quality
  3. mate — a friend
  4. game — a match
  5. mate — a partner
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. stock — shares
  13. wave — a sudden rise
  14. bound — tied together
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. bound — certain
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. mate — to breed
  20. fine — all right
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. game — wild animals
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. bound — obliged

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