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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. lash — an eyelash
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mug — a cup
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. band — a ring
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. lash — to lash out
  13. date — the fruit
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. file — a line of people
  17. club — for golf
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. club — a group
  21. band — a music group
  22. mug — to rob
  23. mug — a face
  24. stock — shares

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