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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. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. stock — goods
  4. game — a match
  5. stock — shares
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bank — for money
  8. charge — electricity
  9. squash — to crush
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bank — of a river
  12. kid — child
  13. charge — in control
  14. kid — to tease
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. bank — for money
  17. squash — the sport
  18. game — wild animals
  19. band — a ring
  20. rush — hurry
  21. charge — a price
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. band — a music group

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