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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 put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. present — the time now
  4. stock — goods
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. club — for golf
  8. patient — a sick person
  9. chip — for betting
  10. present — a gift
  11. club — for dancing
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. stock — shares
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. chip — to eat
  16. patient — calm and waiting
  17. club — a group
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. band — a music group
  21. present — there
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. bat — the animal
  24. band — a ring

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