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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. ball — a great time
  5. track — a song
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. ball — a dance
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. track — to keep track
  12. last — final
  13. band — a music group
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. shower — to wash
  16. track — a path
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. shower — rain
  20. last — finally
  21. dip — to sink
  22. last — to go on
  23. stock — shares
  24. dip — to dunk

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