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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. band — a music group
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. firm — steady
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. band — a ring
  12. kid — to tease
  13. firm — decided
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. kick — in football
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. stock — shares
  18. snap — to click
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. kid — child
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. firm — a company
  24. stock — goods

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