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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. That was ________________ to happen.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. spell — magic
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stock — goods
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. drill — a practice
  7. file — a tool
  8. spell — a short time
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. stand — to bear
  11. spell — letters
  12. bat — the animal
  13. bound — obliged
  14. club — a group
  15. drill — army training
  16. club — for dancing
  17. drill — the tool
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. file — a line of people
  20. bound — certain
  21. club — for golf
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. stock — shares
  24. file — a document

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