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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 116 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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  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. firm — a company
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. land — to come down
  5. stock — shares
  6. land — ground
  7. staff — employees
  8. land — a country
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. band — a ring
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. season — in sport
  13. firm — decided
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — to crush
  16. staff — employees
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. season — of the year
  19. staff — a stick
  20. squash — the sport
  21. stock — goods
  22. firm — steady
  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