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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 120 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: bat · foot · stock · mark · club · hand · bound · season

  1. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — obliged
  2. hand — help
  3. foot — part of the body
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. club — a group
  6. mark — a grade
  7. season — in sport
  8. bound — tied together
  9. bound — certain
  10. season — of the year
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. hand — in cards
  14. bat — the animal
  15. foot — a measure
  16. stock — shares
  17. club — for dancing
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. stock — goods
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. club — for golf
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mark — a trace

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