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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  3. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. kick — with a leg
  3. hand — in cards
  4. band — a music group
  5. mark — a grade
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. fine — all right
  9. hand — help
  10. fall — to drop
  11. bound — tied together
  12. band — a ring
  13. fall — the season
  14. kick — a thrill
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. kick — in football
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. mark — a trace
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bound — certain
  23. fine — high quality
  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