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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. bound — obliged
  3. root — of a word
  4. mug — a face
  5. pit — a fruit stone
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mug — a cup
  11. pit — a hole
  12. stock — shares
  13. bound — certain
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. root — the cause
  17. rule — a law
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. pit — in a race
  21. bound — tied together
  22. root — of a plant
  23. rule — government
  24. mug — to rob

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