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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 120 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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — the animal
  2. bass — the fish
  3. club — for golf
  4. club — a group
  5. club — for dancing
  6. bore — to tire
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. stock — shares
  9. cold — not warm
  10. stock — goods
  11. branch — a division
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. staff — employees
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. bore — gave birth
  16. bass — low music
  17. cold — an illness
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. staff — a stick
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. staff — employees
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. bore — to drill

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