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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. I can't ________________ this cold.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. There's no middle ________________.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stand — to bear
  3. staff — a stick
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. track — a path
  6. mark — a trace
  7. band — a ring
  8. stock — goods
  9. track — a song
  10. staff — employees
  11. staff — employees
  12. stock — shares
  13. ground — the earth
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. ground — crushed
  16. mine — belonging to me
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. band — a music group
  19. stand — on your feet
  20. mark — a grade
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. track — to keep track
  23. ground — a position
  24. mine — for digging

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