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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 120 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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bound — tied together
  3. stock — goods
  4. bear — the animal
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bound — obliged
  8. bat — the animal
  9. face — to point toward
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. bear — the animal
  12. tube — a container
  13. face — part of the head
  14. pitch — completely
  15. stock — shares
  16. track — a song
  17. tube — the underground
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. bear — to put up with
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. bound — certain
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. face — to confront

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