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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. track — a song
  3. object — to protest
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. club — for golf
  6. object — an aim
  7. club — a group
  8. object — a thing
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. track — a path
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. swing — in golf
  13. swing — music
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. stand — to bear
  16. stand — for spectators
  17. club — for dancing
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. swing — to play on
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. stand — on your feet
  24. track — to keep track

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