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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. band — a music group
  3. pitch — a sports field
  4. content — happy
  5. present — the time now
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rock — a stone
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. content — the amount
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. rock — music
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. rest — a break
  15. band — a ring
  16. present — a gift
  17. rest — what's left
  18. rest — what's left
  19. mug — a face
  20. mug — a cup
  21. stock — goods
  22. mug — to rob
  23. present — there
  24. stock — shares

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