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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. False peace will not ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. drill — army training
  3. bass — the fish
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. season — in sport
  6. bound — tied together
  7. bound — certain
  8. last — final
  9. last — to go on
  10. drill — a practice
  11. lie — to recline
  12. chip — for betting
  13. stock — goods
  14. bound — obliged
  15. last — finally
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. chip — to eat
  20. season — of the year
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bass — low music

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