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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. file — a line of people
  3. ground — a position
  4. stock — goods
  5. ground — crushed
  6. band — a ring
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. ground — the earth
  10. spring — a coil
  11. band — a music group
  12. mark — a trace
  13. stock — shares
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. file — a tool
  16. firm — a company
  17. firm — decided
  18. spring — of water
  19. spring — the season
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. file — a document
  22. mark — a grade
  23. firm — steady
  24. band — a rubber band

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