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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. ball — a great time
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. stock — shares
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. stock — goods
  8. rush — hurry
  9. ball — a dance
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wave — with your hand
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. band — a music group
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. last — to go on
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. band — a ring
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. foot — a measure
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. last — final
  24. wave — of the sea

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