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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Add some ________________ pepper to it.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. wake — a trail
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. ground — a position
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. suit — in cards
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. fall — the season
  9. bound — certain
  10. fall — to drop
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. stock — shares
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. bound — obliged
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. fall — to drop
  18. suit — clothes
  19. suit — to fit
  20. stock — goods
  21. fork — in a road
  22. bound — tied together
  23. ground — the earth
  24. ground — crushed

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