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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  8. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  17. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. sharp — clever
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. band — a music group
  5. club — a group
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. safe — a strongbox
  8. scale — size or range
  9. stock — goods
  10. club — for golf
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. pitch — completely
  14. band — a ring
  15. stock — shares
  16. scale — in music
  17. branch — of a tree
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. club — for dancing
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. branch — a division
  24. scale — for weighing

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