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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. track — a path
  3. ball — a dance
  4. bound — tied together
  5. wind — moving air
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. bound — obliged
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. bound — certain
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. chair — a leader
  14. track — a song
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. track — to keep track
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. stock — goods
  21. ball — a great time
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. stock — shares
  24. leaves — to go away

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