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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. My mare is ________________ in color.
  14. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. snap — to click
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. stock — goods
  5. bound — certain
  6. staff — employees
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. band — a ring
  9. bound — tied together
  10. deal — to handle
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. bound — obliged
  13. bay — a horse colour
  14. deal — an agreement
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. staff — employees
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. staff — a stick
  22. stock — shares
  23. band — a music group
  24. hide — animal skin

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