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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 belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — for dancing
  4. hand — in cards
  5. stock — goods
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. scale — size or range
  8. rush — hurry
  9. hand — help
  10. pitch — completely
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. scale — in music
  13. pitch — a sales talk
  14. last — final
  15. ball — a great time
  16. last — finally
  17. ball — a dance
  18. stock — shares
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. pitch — a sports field
  23. last — to go on
  24. ball — a round shape

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