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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  20. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. club — a group
  3. club — for golf
  4. land — to come down
  5. can — a tin
  6. club — for dancing
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. wound — an injury
  10. can — to be able to
  11. board — a flat piece
  12. stock — goods
  13. board — to get on
  14. can — a tin
  15. root — of a word
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. root — of a plant
  19. board — a committee
  20. land — a country
  21. stock — shares
  22. wound — an injury
  23. root — the cause
  24. march — the month

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