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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I'll be taking the ________________.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. stock — goods
  4. suit — in cards
  5. net — for catching
  6. stock — shares
  7. tube — a container
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. bound — obliged
  10. suit — to fit
  11. wake — a trail
  12. band — a music group
  13. ground — a position
  14. tube — the underground
  15. net — after costs
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bound — tied together
  18. ground — the earth
  19. net — in sport
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bound — certain
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. suit — clothes
  24. band — a ring

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