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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. stock — shares
  3. bound — obliged
  4. rest — what's left
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. bound — certain
  7. plane — in geometry
  8. rest — a break
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mine — an explosive
  13. date — the fruit
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. stock — goods
  19. bound — tied together
  20. pitch — completely
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. mine — for digging
  24. plane — a tool

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