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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  15. How do you ________________ your surname?
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. stock — goods
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. court — of a king
  7. spell — magic
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. spell — a short time
  10. date — the fruit
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. court — of law
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. spell — letters
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bowl — a football final
  19. court — for sport
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. band — a music group
  23. stock — shares
  24. fork — in a road

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