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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. pound — a weight
  4. band — a ring
  5. band — a music group
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. chip — to eat
  9. snap — to snap out of it
  10. chip — for betting
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. stock — goods
  13. stock — shares
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. chip — in a computer
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. snap — to click
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. wind — moving air

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