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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. stock — shares
  3. season — of the year
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. stock — goods
  6. band — a ring
  7. cue — a signal
  8. field — for sport
  9. dip — to sink
  10. cue — a hint
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. season — in sport
  13. cue — for pool
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. field — a subject
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. capital — money
  19. capital — a city
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. capital — a big letter
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. field — farmland

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