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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. rock — a stone
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. swing — music
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. rock — music
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. club — a group
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. wound — an injury
  11. stock — goods
  12. wound — an injury
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. fork — in a road
  16. calf — a young animal
  17. stock — shares
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. swing — to play on
  23. swing — in golf
  24. club — for golf

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