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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. bound — tied together
  4. band — a ring
  5. bound — certain
  6. stock — shares
  7. field — for sport
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. pound — to hit hard
  10. field — a subject
  11. pound — a weight
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. band — a music group
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. field — farmland
  16. stock — goods
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. pound — for dogs
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. bound — obliged
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. pitcher — a jug

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