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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. band — a music group
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. bass — the fish
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. bass — low music
  7. ball — a dance
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. club — for golf
  10. ball — a great time
  11. stock — goods
  12. ground — a position
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. ground — the earth
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. content — happy
  17. content — the amount
  18. ground — crushed
  19. band — a ring
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. stock — shares
  22. club — a group
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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