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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. pit — a hole
  3. fork — in a road
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. stock — goods
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. band — a ring
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. current — of water
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. current — happening now
  13. net — in sport
  14. current — electric
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. game — wild animals
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. pit — in a race
  20. game — a match
  21. net — for catching
  22. stock — shares
  23. net — after costs
  24. stock — a soup base

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