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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. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. scale — in music
  3. object — an aim
  4. charge — electricity
  5. rock — music
  6. object — to protest
  7. band — a ring
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. ground — a position
  12. rock — a stone
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. ground — crushed
  15. ground — the earth
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. charge — in control
  19. object — a thing
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. scale — size or range
  22. band — a music group
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. charge — a price

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