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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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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: bound · bulb · pit · firm · stock · ground · mate · clip

  1. That was ________________ to happen.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. The light ________________ burned out.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. I've got to change the light ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — certain
  2. pit — in a race
  3. stock — shares
  4. pit — a hole
  5. firm — a company
  6. clip — for paper
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. bound — tied together
  9. stock — goods
  10. ground — the earth
  11. ground — crushed
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. ground — a position
  14. bulb — for light
  15. firm — decided
  16. clip — a video
  17. firm — steady
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. bulb — for light
  20. bound — obliged
  21. mate — a partner
  22. clip — to cut
  23. mate — a friend
  24. mate — to breed

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