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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. When are we going to ________________?
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. Have you met the new head ________________?
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. bound — obliged
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. bound — certain
  8. stock — goods
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. cold — an illness
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. charge — a price
  14. land — ground
  15. bound — tied together
  16. land — to come down
  17. cold — not warm
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. land — a country
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. charge — electricity
  23. charge — in control
  24. stock — a soup base

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