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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  16. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. club — for dancing
  3. charge — a price
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. stock — goods
  6. club — for golf
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. pound — a weight
  9. wound — an injury
  10. club — a group
  11. degree — an amount
  12. wound — an injury
  13. ball — a great time
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. degree — temperature
  16. wax — to grow
  17. ball — a dance
  18. wax — in the ear
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — electricity
  21. pound — to hit hard
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. degree — from a university
  24. stock — a soup base

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