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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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. bound — obliged
  3. row — a line
  4. pit — in a race
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. rest — what's left
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rest — what's left
  9. shower — rain
  10. rush — hurry
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. bound — tied together
  13. rest — a break
  14. season — in sport
  15. row — to paddle
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. shower — a meteor shower
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. stock — shares
  20. shower — to wash
  21. pit — a hole
  22. season — of the year
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. stock — goods

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