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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  6. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  24. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. net — for catching
  4. sharp — clever
  5. firm — steady
  6. firm — decided
  7. stock — shares
  8. firm — a company
  9. club — a group
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. net — in sport
  12. band — a ring
  13. straw — to clutch at straws
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. band — a music group
  16. stock — goods
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. club — for golf
  20. net — after costs
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. club — for dancing
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. perch — the fish

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