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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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. club — for golf
  3. cold — not warm
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. club — a group
  6. club — for dancing
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. stock — goods
  9. cold — an illness
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. saw — the tool
  13. stock — shares
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. saw — the tool
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. rush — hurry
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mine — for digging
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. cold — the Cold War

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