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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. Did you ________________ the button?
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. roll — a cake
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. row — a line
  5. club — for dancing
  6. press — newspapers
  7. band — a music group
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. stock — shares
  10. press — a publisher
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. press — to push
  13. row — to paddle
  14. stock — goods
  15. club — a group
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. club — for golf
  18. roll — a list
  19. band — a ring
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. bat — the animal
  24. toast — bread

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