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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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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: rock · bat · deal · key · pitcher · stock · game · bound

  1. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. This piece is in a major ________________.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. key — for a lock
  3. rock — music
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. game — a match
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. bound — obliged
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. stock — goods
  15. key — the most important part
  16. key — in music
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. bound — certain
  19. bat — the animal
  20. game — wild animals
  21. rock — a stone
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. stock — shares
  24. deal — to handle

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