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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. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bound — obliged
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. swing — music
  5. deal — to handle
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. capital — a big letter
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. bound — certain
  12. capital — a city
  13. stock — shares
  14. scale — size or range
  15. stock — goods
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. scale — in music
  19. capital — money
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. scale — for weighing
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bound — tied together
  24. deal — an agreement

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