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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. staff — a stick
  3. bound — certain
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. rush — hurry
  6. staff — employees
  7. capital — money
  8. bound — obliged
  9. stock — shares
  10. pop — music
  11. bore — to tire
  12. stock — goods
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. bound — tied together
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bore — to drill
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. capital — a city
  20. bore — gave birth
  21. pop — soda
  22. staff — employees
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. mouse — the animal

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