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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 116 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. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. cap — of ice
  4. game — wild animals
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. swing — music
  7. stock — shares
  8. bound — obliged
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. swing — to play on
  11. swing — in golf
  12. cap — a hat
  13. bound — tied together
  14. cap — a lid
  15. fork — in a road
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. rule — government
  21. game — a match
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. rule — a law
  24. stock — goods

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