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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Did you ________________ the meat?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. season — of the year
  3. present — a gift
  4. present — the time now
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. shower — to wash
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. season — to add flavour
  10. rest — what's left
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. rest — a break
  13. rest — what's left
  14. mate — to breed
  15. bound — tied together
  16. mate — a partner
  17. mate — a friend
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. bound — certain
  21. season — in sport
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. shower — rain
  24. present — there

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