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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: fan · suit · toast · stick · hand · rule · stock · band

  1. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. When will it ________________ you to start?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. stock — goods
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. suit — clothes
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — shares
  8. band — a music group
  9. suit — to fit
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. band — a ring
  13. hand — in cards
  14. toast — bread
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. toast — the most admired
  18. rule — government
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. toast — a drink to someone
  21. suit — in cards
  22. hand — help
  23. rule — a law
  24. rule — to rule out

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