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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. She's very handy with a ________________.
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  19. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  20. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. stock — shares
  3. net — in sport
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. bound — certain
  8. saw — the tool
  9. kick — in football
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. net — for catching
  12. net — after costs
  13. wound — an injury
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. wound — an injury
  17. bound — tied together
  18. kick — a thrill
  19. wake — to stop sleeping
  20. chair — to sit on
  21. bound — obliged
  22. stock — goods
  23. chair — a leader
  24. wake — a trail

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