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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. bound — obliged
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. drill — army training
  6. squash — to crush
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. bound — certain
  9. bound — tied together
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. pitch — completely
  12. drill — the tool
  13. drill — a practice
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. stock — goods
  17. shower — to wash
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. shower — rain
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. bat — the animal
  23. wake — a trail
  24. squash — the sport

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