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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. Did you ________________ the button?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. land — to come down
  4. court — of a king
  5. press — to push
  6. track — a path
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. land — ground
  9. press — newspapers
  10. chest — of your body
  11. court — of law
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. land — a country
  14. band — a music group
  15. track — a song
  16. chest — a box
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. court — for sport
  20. chest — of your body
  21. stock — goods
  22. press — a publisher
  23. track — to keep track
  24. band — a ring

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