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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  6. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mark — a trace
  3. net — in sport
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wave — of the sea
  6. bound — obliged
  7. bound — certain
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. net — for catching
  10. stock — goods
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. net — after costs
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. cold — an illness
  17. land — to come down
  18. stock — shares
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. cold — not warm
  22. land — ground
  23. mark — a grade
  24. land — a country

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