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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  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. wake — before a funeral
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. fan — to cool the air
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. wake — a trail
  6. stock — shares
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. ground — the earth
  9. foot — a measure
  10. ground — a position
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. scale — in music
  13. game — wild animals
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. foot — the bottom
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. stock — goods
  18. ground — crushed
  19. game — a match
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. foot — part of the body
  22. band — a music group
  23. scale — size or range
  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