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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. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  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. rash — a series
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pound — to hit hard
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. spell — letters
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. pound — a weight
  9. pitch — completely
  10. rash — hasty
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. club — for golf
  13. pound — for dogs
  14. band — a ring
  15. club — for dancing
  16. spell — a short time
  17. stock — shares
  18. spell — magic
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. stock — goods
  22. club — a group
  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