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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 120 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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. club — for dancing
  5. stock — shares
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. club — for golf
  8. mine — for digging
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. stock — goods
  11. pop — music
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. wound — an injury
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. foot — a measure
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pop — soda
  20. mine — belonging to me
  21. wound — an injury
  22. pop — to visit
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. leaves — to go away

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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