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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. net — after costs
  4. stock — shares
  5. bound — certain
  6. lie — to recline
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. stock — goods
  9. board — to get on
  10. mate — to breed
  11. bound — tied together
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. mate — a partner
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. mate — a friend
  19. board — a flat piece
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — for catching
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. board — a committee

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