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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He was locked up in a ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. scale — in music
  4. game — wild animals
  5. bound — certain
  6. stock — goods
  7. cell — in a prison
  8. rush — hurry
  9. cell — a phone
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. object — an aim
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. rock — a stone
  14. game — a match
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. object — a thing
  19. object — to protest
  20. cell — in biology
  21. rock — music
  22. bound — obliged
  23. stock — shares
  24. scale — size or range

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