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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  12. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — hurry
  2. suit — clothes
  3. file — a tool
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — goods
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. band — a ring
  8. tube — the underground
  9. file — a line of people
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. key — for a lock
  12. band — a music group
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. key — in music
  15. suit — in cards
  16. key — the most important part
  17. file — a document
  18. suit — to fit
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. roll — a list
  21. roll — a cake
  22. tube — a container
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. rush — to hurry

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