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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  5. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  6. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. stock — goods
  3. club — for golf
  4. fork — to eat with
  5. root — of a plant
  6. fork — in a road
  7. club — for dancing
  8. bass — the fish
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. bass — low music
  12. dip — to sink
  13. stock — shares
  14. rash — hasty
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. root — the cause
  19. rash — a series
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. root — of a word
  22. club — a group
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. toast — the most admired

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