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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. We took cover from the thunder ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — the time now
  2. present — a gift
  3. mark — a grade
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — shares
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. bound — certain
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. pitch — completely
  13. rest — a break
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bound — obliged
  16. bound — tied together
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. present — there
  19. bat — the animal
  20. rest — what's left
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. shower — rain

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