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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. The water is too ________________.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. staff — employees
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. present — the time now
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. stock — shares
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. cold — an illness
  11. bound — tied together
  12. kid — child
  13. stock — goods
  14. kid — to tease
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. bound — certain
  18. present — there
  19. cold — not warm
  20. staff — a stick
  21. bound — obliged
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. staff — employees
  24. stock — a soup base

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