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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. stock — goods
  3. mine — for digging
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. bound — obliged
  8. rest — what's left
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. stock — shares
  11. deal — to handle
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bound — certain
  14. date — the fruit
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. perch — the fish
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rest — what's left
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rest — a break

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