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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 124 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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. game — a match
  3. clip — for paper
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. spring — of water
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. clip — a video
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. clip — to cut
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. rule — government
  14. stock — shares
  15. deal — a big deal
  16. rule — a law
  17. spring — the season
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. bound — certain
  20. deal — to handle
  21. spring — a coil
  22. stock — goods
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bound — obliged

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