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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. pit — in a race
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. shower — to wash
  5. band — a ring
  6. pit — a hole
  7. shower — rain
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. file — a document
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. file — a line of people
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. swing — to play on
  15. file — a tool
  16. swing — music
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — goods
  19. mark — a grade
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. band — a music group
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. mark — a trace
  24. swing — in golf

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