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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. patient — a sick person
  5. club — a group
  6. band — a ring
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. ground — crushed
  10. band — a music group
  11. stock — goods
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. ground — a position
  17. club — for dancing
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. stock — shares
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. ground — the earth
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. calf — a young animal

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