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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. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. straw — a straw man
  2. club — a group
  3. wind — moving air
  4. club — for dancing
  5. rest — what's left
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. court — of a king
  8. straw — dry grass
  9. club — for golf
  10. court — of law
  11. stock — goods
  12. fork — in a road
  13. fork — to eat with
  14. wind — moving air
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. rest — what's left
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. rest — a break
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. court — for sport
  21. mouse — for a computer
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. wind — to turn a key

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