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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bound — certain
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. stock — goods
  7. can — to be able to
  8. bass — low music
  9. fall — the season
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. bass — the fish
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. bound — obliged
  16. fall — to drop
  17. can — a tin
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. can — a tin
  20. bound — tied together
  21. stock — shares
  22. snap — to click
  23. mark — a grade
  24. mark — a trace

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