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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. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  8. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  9. My mare is ________________ in color.
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — a break
  2. stock — goods
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. stock — shares
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. bound — tied together
  7. ruler — for measuring
  8. spring — of water
  9. bay — a horse colour
  10. spell — letters
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. rest — what's left
  13. spell — a short time
  14. spring — a coil
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. bound — obliged
  17. rest — what's left
  18. spell — magic
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. bound — certain
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. spring — the season
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. ruler — a monarch

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