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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 116 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. When will it ________________ you to start?
  2. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — to fit
  2. kid — to tease
  3. band — a music group
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — shares
  8. suit — in cards
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. field — for sport
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. kid — child
  14. stock — goods
  15. field — a subject
  16. last — to go on
  17. suit — clothes
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. band — a ring
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. last — finally
  22. field — farmland
  23. last — final
  24. band — a rubber band

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