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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. leaves — to go away
  3. cell — a phone
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. stock — shares
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. leaves — of a tree
  10. squash — the sport
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fall — to drop
  13. cell — in biology
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. squash — to crush
  16. fall — the season
  17. bound — certain
  18. rock — a stone
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. fall — to drop
  21. nail — on a finger
  22. stock — goods
  23. bound — tied together
  24. bound — obliged

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