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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. Have you found your soul ________________?
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  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. stock — a soup base
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. mate — a partner
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. mate — a friend
  7. rest — what's left
  8. stock — goods
  9. track — to keep track
  10. game — wild animals
  11. track — a song
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. track — a path
  14. stock — shares
  15. rest — a break
  16. band — a ring
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. mate — to breed
  19. game — a kind of play
  20. rest — what's left
  21. band — a music group
  22. game — a match
  23. jam — to spread on bread
  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