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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 112 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: stock · file · bound · game · pit · mug

  1. That was a fun ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. mug — a face
  3. bound — certain
  4. mug — a cup
  5. pit — a hole
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. stock — goods
  8. mug — to rob
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pit — in a race
  12. file — a document
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. stock — shares
  15. bound — obliged
  16. file — a line of people
  17. bound — tied together
  18. file — a tool

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