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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. I can't ________________ this cold.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stand — on your feet
  3. club — for dancing
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. mate — to breed
  6. stand — to bear
  7. mate — a friend
  8. club — for golf
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. stock — shares
  11. mate — a partner
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. rock — a stone
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a tool
  16. rock — to move gently
  17. land — to come down
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. file — a document
  20. stock — goods
  21. land — ground
  22. land — a country
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. club — a 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