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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. mark — a trace
  3. bound — tied together
  4. stock — shares
  5. field — for sport
  6. clip — for paper
  7. cap — a lid
  8. stock — goods
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. bore — to tire
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. cap — of ice
  15. mark — a grade
  16. bore — to drill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. cap — a hat
  19. field — farmland
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. clip — to cut
  22. bound — certain
  23. clip — a video
  24. field — a subject

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