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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bound — obliged
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rush — hurry
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. stock — shares
  10. bound — certain
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. game — wild animals
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. game — a match
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. row — a line
  20. foot — a measure
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. row — to paddle
  24. coach — a trainer

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