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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  11. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. rule — government
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. mine — for digging
  6. tear — from crying
  7. march — the month
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. tear — from crying
  11. tear — to rip
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. stock — goods
  14. band — a ring
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. march — the month
  20. pound — a weight
  21. rule — a law
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. march — music
  24. stock — shares

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