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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  12. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  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. club — for golf
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. suit — to fit
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. stock — goods
  6. suit — clothes
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. file — a tool
  9. club — for dancing
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. tear — from crying
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. file — a line of people
  14. tear — from crying
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. file — a document
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. stock — shares
  20. perch — the fish
  21. suit — in cards
  22. tear — to rip
  23. nail — for a hammer
  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