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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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. That was ________________ to happen.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stock — goods
  6. cold — an illness
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. board — a flat piece
  10. bound — obliged
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. bound — tied together
  13. shower — rain
  14. bound — certain
  15. mark — a grade
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. board — a committee
  18. suit — in cards
  19. cold — not warm
  20. stock — shares
  21. shower — to wash
  22. board — to get on
  23. mark — a trace
  24. suit — clothes

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