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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. spring — a coil
  3. track — a song
  4. rule — a law
  5. bound — tied together
  6. club — a group
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cap — a lid
  9. club — for dancing
  10. stock — goods
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. club — for golf
  13. bound — obliged
  14. staff — employees
  15. rule — government
  16. cap — a hat
  17. track — a path
  18. spring — the season
  19. staff — a stick
  20. spring — of water
  21. staff — employees
  22. cap — of ice
  23. bound — certain
  24. stock — shares

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