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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. bound — obliged
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. ball — a great time
  5. rock — music
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. cap — a lid
  8. stock — goods
  9. cap — of ice
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. cap — a hat
  12. ball — a dance
  13. bound — tied together
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. band — a music group
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. fine — high quality
  18. bound — certain
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. fine — all right
  22. stock — shares
  23. sharp — clever
  24. rock — a stone

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