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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. bound — certain
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. stock — shares
  5. straw — to clutch at straws
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. root — the cause
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. snap — to click
  10. track — a path
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. season — of the year
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. root — of a word
  15. season — in sport
  16. stock — goods
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. root — of a plant
  20. track — to keep track
  21. bound — obliged
  22. bound — tied together
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. season — to add flavour

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