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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. court — for sport
  4. stock — shares
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. band — a ring
  7. court — of a king
  8. pop — soda
  9. pop — to visit
  10. court — of law
  11. rush — hurry
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. race — humankind
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. race — the arms race
  16. race — a contest
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. pop — music
  20. ball — a dance
  21. ball — a great time
  22. band — a music group
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. stock — goods

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