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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. What do you think of the new ________________?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  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. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. season — in sport
  3. band — a music group
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. court — for sport
  7. season — of the year
  8. court — of law
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. game — wild animals
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stock — goods
  13. scale — size or range
  14. cabinet — ministers
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. scale — in music
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. band — a ring
  19. stock — shares
  20. cabinet — a cupboard
  21. game — a match
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. court — of a king
  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