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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stock — shares
  4. track — to keep track
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. track — a path
  9. object — to protest
  10. cell — a phone
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. band — a ring
  15. stock — goods
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. object — an aim
  18. sharp — clever
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. track — a song
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. object — a thing

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