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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bound — certain
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. swing — music
  6. march — the month
  7. stock — shares
  8. march — the month
  9. bound — tied together
  10. march — music
  11. staff — employees
  12. stock — goods
  13. swing — to play on
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. bound — obliged
  16. staff — employees
  17. toast — bread
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — the animal
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. swing — in golf
  23. staff — a stick
  24. hide — animal skin

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