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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. staff — a stick
  3. track — a song
  4. field — a subject
  5. bound — obliged
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. staff — employees
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. pound — a weight
  10. field — for sport
  11. sharp — clever
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. stock — shares
  14. track — a path
  15. track — to keep track
  16. field — farmland
  17. stock — goods
  18. fine — high quality
  19. bound — certain
  20. fine — all right
  21. staff — employees
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. fine — a penalty

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