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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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  7. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pitch — a sales talk
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — a contest
  7. mouse — for a computer
  8. band — a ring
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. race — the arms race
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. swing — music
  13. band — a music group
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. swing — in golf
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. pitch — completely
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. stock — shares
  21. stock — goods
  22. date — the fruit
  23. swing — to play on
  24. date — on the calendar

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