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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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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. When are we going to ________________?
  11. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a ring
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. wave — a sudden rise
  6. field — for sport
  7. arm — a part of something
  8. land — ground
  9. can — to be able to
  10. land — to come down
  11. wave — with your hand
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. land — a country
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. can — a tin
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. stock — goods
  19. can — a tin
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. field — a subject
  24. field — farmland

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