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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. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  2. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — a cupboard
  2. content — happy
  3. band — a music group
  4. rash — hasty
  5. stock — shares
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. band — a ring
  9. drill — a practice
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. stock — goods
  14. rash — a series
  15. drill — the tool
  16. content — the amount
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. bound — tied together
  19. bound — obliged
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. lash — to lash out
  22. bound — certain
  23. drill — army training
  24. cabinet — ministers

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