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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. court — of law
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. object — a thing
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. court — for sport
  8. band — a ring
  9. field — a subject
  10. spell — a short time
  11. stock — shares
  12. court — of a king
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. object — to protest
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. stock — goods
  17. field — farmland
  18. band — a music group
  19. object — an aim
  20. spell — letters
  21. field — for sport
  22. spell — magic
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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