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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 train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  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. leaves — to go away
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. cap — of ice
  7. kid — child
  8. leaves — lets stay
  9. spring — of water
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. staff — a stick
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. cap — a lid
  14. staff — employees
  15. spring — a coil
  16. club — for golf
  17. staff — employees
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. cap — a hat
  20. spring — the season
  21. club — for dancing
  22. stock — goods
  23. kid — to tease
  24. club — a group

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