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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. When will it ________________ you to start?
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. hand — part of the body
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. bound — obliged
  6. fork — in a road
  7. race — the arms race
  8. suit — in cards
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. club — a group
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. race — a contest
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. bound — tied together
  16. hand — in cards
  17. race — humankind
  18. club — for golf
  19. stock — goods
  20. hand — help
  21. stock — shares
  22. suit — to fit
  23. suit — clothes
  24. bound — certain

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