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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 116 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — obliged
  3. stock — shares
  4. face — to point toward
  5. cue — a signal
  6. chair — a leader
  7. spell — a short time
  8. file — a document
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bound — tied together
  12. face — to confront
  13. file — a line of people
  14. file — a tool
  15. cue — a hint
  16. land — ground
  17. stock — goods
  18. face — part of the head
  19. land — to come down
  20. spell — magic
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. spell — letters
  23. land — a country
  24. cue — for pool

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