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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. sharp — clever
  3. stock — goods
  4. stem — of a plant
  5. bound — obliged
  6. season — of the year
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. season — in sport
  9. object — a thing
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. object — an aim
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. stem — a stem cell
  15. kid — to tease
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. stock — shares
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. object — to protest
  21. bound — certain
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. stem — to come from
  24. kid — child

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