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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 still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. That must've been a ________________.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  23. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. file — a document
  3. root — of a word
  4. stock — shares
  5. mate — a friend
  6. file — a tool
  7. mate — a partner
  8. mate — to breed
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. stock — goods
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. face — to point toward
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. root — of a plant
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. file — a line of people
  18. rush — a thrill
  19. face — to confront
  20. band — a music group
  21. pass — a permit
  22. root — the cause
  23. rush — hurry
  24. face — part of the head

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