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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. stock — goods
  3. fine — high quality
  4. fine — all right
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. key — the most important part
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. stock — shares
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bat — the animal
  16. shower — rain
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. key — for a lock
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bound — obliged
  23. lash — to lash out
  24. key — in music

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