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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: safe · band · cabinet · stock · wind · racket · rule · chip

  1. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  6. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  7. What do you think of the new ________________?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  10. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  11. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  20. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. band — a ring
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — to turn a key
  6. cabinet — a cupboard
  7. cabinet — ministers
  8. band — a music group
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. wind — moving air
  11. rule — to rule out
  12. rule — government
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. stock — goods
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. stock — shares
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rule — a law
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. chip — to eat
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. chip — for betting

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