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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. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  10. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. deal — to handle
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. bound — tied together
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. bound — certain
  7. stock — goods
  8. band — a music group
  9. bank — of a river
  10. staff — a stick
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bank — for money
  13. pit — a hole
  14. bank — for money
  15. bound — obliged
  16. band — a ring
  17. pit — in a race
  18. deal — an agreement
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. chair — a leader
  22. stock — shares
  23. staff — employees
  24. chair — to sit on

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