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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. suit — to fit
  5. saw — the tool
  6. wound — an injury
  7. prune — the fruit
  8. content — happy
  9. suit — in cards
  10. saw — the tool
  11. suit — clothes
  12. stock — goods
  13. wound — past of 'wind'
  14. prune — to trim
  15. current — electric
  16. stock — shares
  17. current — of water
  18. club — for dancing
  19. wound — an injury
  20. prune — to trim
  21. current — happening now
  22. content — the amount
  23. club — a group
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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