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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 120 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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. band — a music group
  3. rest — what's left
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. band — a ring
  7. rest — what's left
  8. leaves — to go away
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. cap — a lid
  11. file — a tool
  12. file — a document
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. cap — of ice
  16. file — a line of people
  17. deal — to handle
  18. snap — to click
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. cap — a hat
  21. rest — a break
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — shares

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