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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 116 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. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. staff — a stick
  3. season — in sport
  4. bound — obliged
  5. dip — a sauce
  6. stock — shares
  7. bound — certain
  8. mark — to pay attention
  9. row — to paddle
  10. staff — employees
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. mark — a trace
  13. plane — a tool
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. season — of the year
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bound — tied together
  20. stock — goods
  21. mark — a grade
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. row — a line
  24. dip — to sink

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