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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. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — to sit on
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. squash — the sport
  5. rush — hurry
  6. rock — music
  7. deal — a big deal
  8. band — a music group
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. rock — a stone
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. stock — shares
  13. toast — bread
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. band — a ring
  17. chair — a leader
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. deal — to handle
  20. rock — to move gently
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. stock — goods
  23. squash — the vegetable
  24. squash — to crush

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