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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. game — wild animals
  3. pop — to visit
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. firm — decided
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mark — a grade
  8. pop — music
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. firm — steady
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. mark — a trace
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. band — a ring
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. band — a music group
  17. stock — shares
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. game — a match
  22. pop — soda
  23. firm — a company
  24. game — a kind of play

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