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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. band — a ring
  3. bound — certain
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rash — a series
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. land — to come down
  10. stock — goods
  11. band — a music group
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. land — ground
  14. content — happy
  15. bound — obliged
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. rush — hurry
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. content — the amount
  21. stock — shares
  22. land — a country
  23. rash — hasty
  24. nail — for a hammer

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