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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 120 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 farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. patient — calm and waiting
  2. track — a song
  3. bound — certain
  4. last — finally
  5. bound — tied together
  6. stock — goods
  7. track — to keep track
  8. bound — obliged
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. degree — from a university
  11. patient — a sick person
  12. track — a path
  13. last — final
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. patient — a sick person
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rush — hurry
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. stock — shares
  20. degree — an amount
  21. last — to go on
  22. degree — temperature
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. stock — a soup base

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