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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bank — for money
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. staff — employees
  5. stock — shares
  6. stock — goods
  7. ball — a dance
  8. staff — a stick
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. bank — of a river
  12. staff — employees
  13. bank — for money
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. club — for golf
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. club — a group
  18. ball — a great time
  19. mine — for digging
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. shower — rain
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. shower — to wash
  24. ruler — for measuring

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