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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 116 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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. band — a music group
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. stock — shares
  6. wind — to turn a key
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. track — to keep track
  9. mate — a friend
  10. wind — moving air
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. mate — a partner
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. stock — goods
  15. band — a ring
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. track — a song
  20. kick — in football
  21. rush — hurry
  22. wind — moving air
  23. track — a path
  24. kick — a thrill

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