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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's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  4. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. Have you settled on a ________________?
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. firm — steady
  4. band — a rubber band
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. row — to paddle
  7. date — the fruit
  8. band — a ring
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. cue — a signal
  12. cue — for pool
  13. stock — goods
  14. capital — money
  15. cue — a hint
  16. capital — a city
  17. firm — a company
  18. capital — a big letter
  19. toast — bread
  20. row — a line
  21. stock — shares
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. firm — decided
  24. date — on the calendar

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