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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. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. cold — an illness
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — the bottom
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. wave — of the sea
  9. band — a ring
  10. stock — goods
  11. bass — low music
  12. cold — not warm
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. bass — the fish
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. deal — to handle
  22. stock — shares
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. deal — an agreement

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