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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 120 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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. band — a music group
  3. wake — a trail
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. march — the month
  7. stock — shares
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. stock — goods
  12. band — a ring
  13. march — music
  14. ground — a position
  15. sharp — clever
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. march — the month
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. ground — crushed
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. mine — for digging
  22. chip — to eat
  23. chip — for betting
  24. sharp — with an edge

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