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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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Word bank
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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: stock · firm · suit · band · march · cold · bowl · saw

  1. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. march — music
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. bowl — a football final
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cold — not warm
  8. suit — in cards
  9. stock — goods
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cold — an illness
  12. firm — steady
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. band — a music group
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. suit — to fit
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. band — a ring
  19. march — the month
  20. stock — shares
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. firm — a company
  23. suit — clothes
  24. march — the month

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