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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. patient — a sick person
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. ball — a dance
  5. chip — for betting
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. stock — goods
  10. net — in sport
  11. stock — shares
  12. pit — a fruit stone
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. net — after costs
  15. pit — in a race
  16. chip — to eat
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. band — a ring
  19. net — for catching
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. ball — a great time
  22. patient — calm and waiting
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. pit — a hole

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