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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  17. That was ________________ to happen.
  18. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stem — to come from
  5. stock — shares
  6. stem — a stem cell
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bound — obliged
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. bound — tied together
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. rule — government
  16. fine — all right
  17. bound — certain
  18. stem — of a plant
  19. stock — goods
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. rule — a law

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