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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. craft — a skill
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rash — on the skin
  5. stock — goods
  6. bound — tied together
  7. rash — a series
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. swing — music
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. snap — to click
  13. degree — from a university
  14. craft — boats
  15. swing — in golf
  16. degree — temperature
  17. rash — hasty
  18. degree — an amount
  19. swing — to play on
  20. wound — an injury
  21. wound — an injury
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bound — certain

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