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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. Don't do anything ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. club — a group
  3. ball — a dance
  4. ball — a great time
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. fall — to drop
  7. lean — to rest against
  8. club — for golf
  9. fork — in a road
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. kid — to tease
  12. rash — a series
  13. club — for dancing
  14. fork — to eat with
  15. fall — the season
  16. kid — child
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. fall — to drop
  19. stock — goods
  20. stock — shares
  21. lean — to bend
  22. lean — thin
  23. rash — hasty
  24. ball — a round shape

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