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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. Did you ________________ the button?
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. cold — not warm
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — goods
  6. track — a song
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. bound — certain
  9. press — newspapers
  10. track — a path
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. suit — to fit
  13. bound — obliged
  14. band — a ring
  15. sharp — clever
  16. bound — tied together
  17. suit — clothes
  18. track — to keep track
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. press — a publisher
  21. cold — an illness
  22. press — to push
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. suit — in cards

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