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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 · court · band · cabinet · mouse · fan · safe · stock

  1. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. band — a rubber band
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. game — a match
  4. band — a ring
  5. stock — goods
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. band — a music group
  8. stock — shares
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. court — of a king
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. safe — out of danger
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. safe — a strongbox
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. game — wild animals
  24. fan — a supporter

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