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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: band · ball · mine · chip · ruler · last · stock · suit

  1. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  2. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a music group
  2. chip — to eat
  3. band — a ring
  4. suit — in cards
  5. last — final
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. suit — clothes
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. suit — to fit
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. ball — a dance
  14. last — finally
  15. ball — a great time
  16. chip — for betting
  17. last — to go on
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. mine — an explosive
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. mine — for digging
  24. stock — a soup base

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