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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bound — tied together
  3. bound — obliged
  4. fork — in a road
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. file — a tool
  7. bore — to drill
  8. rule — government
  9. bound — certain
  10. stock — shares
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. cap — a hat
  13. rule — to rule out
  14. cap — a lid
  15. file — a line of people
  16. hand — in cards
  17. rule — a law
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. cap — of ice
  22. bore — to tire
  23. file — a document
  24. hand — help

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