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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. stock — shares
  3. bass — the fish
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. stock — goods
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. bound — obliged
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cold — not warm
  13. bound — certain
  14. cold — the Cold War
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. last — to go on
  17. bass — low music
  18. cold — an illness
  19. last — final
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. last — finally
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. bound — tied together

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