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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 116 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 is an ace ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. bound — obliged
  3. bound — tied together
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. spring — a coil
  7. bound — certain
  8. wound — an injury
  9. spring — of water
  10. object — an aim
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. wound — past of 'wind'
  13. stock — shares
  14. object — to protest
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. mark — a trace
  18. mark — a grade
  19. stock — goods
  20. spring — the season
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. pound — a weight
  24. object — a thing

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