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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bear — the animal
  4. stock — goods
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. club — a group
  7. game — wild animals
  8. file — a line of people
  9. file — a tool
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. club — for golf
  12. stock — shares
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. file — a document
  15. rest — what's left
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. game — a match
  18. rest — a break
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. rest — what's left
  21. bear — the animal
  22. bore — to drill
  23. bore — to tire
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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