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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. band — a ring
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. rest — what's left
  5. suit — in cards
  6. face — to point toward
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. suit — clothes
  9. suit — to fit
  10. race — humankind
  11. rest — a break
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. face — part of the head
  16. stock — shares
  17. race — a contest
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. face — to confront
  20. race — the arms race
  21. band — a music group
  22. rest — what's left
  23. pound — a weight
  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