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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 116 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. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  16. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. scale — in music
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. scale — size or range
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. stock — goods
  8. squash — the sport
  9. deal — to handle
  10. squash — to crush
  11. band — a music group
  12. pop — soda
  13. band — a ring
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. bank — for money
  16. band — a rubber band
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. stock — shares
  19. mine — for digging
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. bank — for money
  22. pop — music
  23. bank — of a river
  24. pop — to visit

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