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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The ________________ took off on time.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. club — a group
  3. plane — an aircraft
  4. stand — to bear
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. fine — all right
  8. club — for dancing
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fine — high quality
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. stand — for spectators
  16. kid — child
  17. deal — to handle
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. sharp — clever
  20. club — for golf
  21. stock — goods
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. plane — a tool
  24. plane — in geometry

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