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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. object — an aim
  7. object — a thing
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. band — a music group
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. stock — goods
  12. squash — the sport
  13. stock — shares
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. field — for sport
  16. field — farmland
  17. squash — to crush
  18. object — to protest
  19. rock — a stone
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. band — a ring
  24. field — a subject

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