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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. club — for golf
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. hand — help
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. can — a tin
  7. rush — hurry
  8. hand — in cards
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. row — to paddle
  15. can — a tin
  16. can — to be able to
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. club — for dancing
  19. stock — goods
  20. club — a group
  21. row — a line
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. trunk — of a tree
  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