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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  11. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  15. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — for golf
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. kick — in football
  5. stock — shares
  6. track — a song
  7. track — a path
  8. track — to keep track
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. capital — money
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. branch — a division
  14. capital — a big letter
  15. capital — a city
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. stock — goods
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. arm — a part of something
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. branch — of a tree
  24. club — a group

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