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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 116 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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. wound — an injury
  3. club — for golf
  4. tear — to rip
  5. wound — an injury
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. firm — decided
  8. bass — the fish
  9. tear — from crying
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. bass — low music
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. club — a group
  14. stock — shares
  15. rush — hurry
  16. firm — a company
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. firm — steady
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. tear — from crying
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. stock — goods

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