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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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. straw — a straw man
  4. saw — the tool
  5. rest — a break
  6. bound — certain
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. stock — goods
  9. scale — in music
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. scale — size or range
  12. rest — what's left
  13. bulb — for light
  14. bulb — for light
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. rest — what's left
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. straw — to clutch at straws
  19. game — wild animals
  20. saw — the tool
  21. bound — tied together
  22. stock — shares
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. game — a match

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