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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stock — shares
  6. rock — a stone
  7. content — the amount
  8. bore — to drill
  9. tube — the underground
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. content — happy
  13. tube — a container
  14. wound — an injury
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bound — tied together
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. bore — to tire
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. bound — certain
  24. stock — goods

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