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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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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: game · stock · rule · jam · mug · chest · pit · band

  1. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  8. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — to rule out
  2. stock — goods
  3. band — a rubber band
  4. chest — of your body
  5. mug — a cup
  6. band — a ring
  7. rule — government
  8. jam — in traffic
  9. rule — a law
  10. chest — of your body
  11. mug — to rob
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. pit — a hole
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. stock — shares
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. mug — a face
  21. chest — a box
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. pit — in a race
  24. band — a music group

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