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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. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. track — a song
  3. track — a path
  4. last — final
  5. last — to go on
  6. stock — shares
  7. staff — employees
  8. staff — a stick
  9. staff — employees
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. track — to keep track
  12. object — an aim
  13. cold — not warm
  14. toast — bread
  15. object — to protest
  16. club — a group
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. last — finally
  20. object — a thing
  21. toast — a drink to someone
  22. stock — goods
  23. club — for golf
  24. club — for dancing

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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