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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  7. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. staff — a stick
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. vault — in gymnastics
  7. vault — a safe
  8. date — the fruit
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. kid — child
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. band — a ring
  16. vault — an arched ceiling
  17. rush — hurry
  18. staff — employees
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. kid — to tease
  22. staff — employees
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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