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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. last — finally
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. squash — the sport
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. pit — a hole
  7. band — a ring
  8. board — a flat piece
  9. stock — shares
  10. board — a committee
  11. saw — the tool
  12. stock — goods
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. wake — to stop sleeping
  15. wake — a trail
  16. squash — to crush
  17. pit — in a race
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. board — to get on
  20. last — to go on
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. last — final
  23. saw — the tool
  24. band — a rubber band

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