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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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. ground — the earth
  4. wind — moving air
  5. bound — certain
  6. march — the month
  7. stock — goods
  8. club — for golf
  9. wind — moving air
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. club — for dancing
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. march — music
  14. branch — a division
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. ground — crushed
  17. stock — shares
  18. club — a group
  19. bound — obliged
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. ground — a position
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. branch — of a bank
  24. march — the month

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