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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 116 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. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — to wash
  2. wound — an injury
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. court — of law
  6. club — for golf
  7. stock — goods
  8. shower — rain
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. club — for dancing
  11. saw — the tool
  12. club — a group
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. court — for sport
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. rash — hasty
  17. wound — an injury
  18. present — there
  19. present — a gift
  20. stock — shares
  21. court — of a king
  22. saw — the tool
  23. present — the time now
  24. rash — a series

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