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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. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rule — a law
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. band — a music group
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. stock — goods
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. rule — government
  12. staff — a stick
  13. sharp — clever
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — shares
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. rash — a series
  19. staff — employees
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. staff — employees
  23. band — a ring
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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