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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. The ________________ went through the wall.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. rule — to rule out
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. club — for dancing
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. chair — a leader
  7. race — the arms race
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. rule — a law
  10. stock — shares
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. content — happy
  16. race — humankind
  17. stock — goods
  18. club — for golf
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. rule — government
  21. content — the amount
  22. nail — on a finger
  23. race — a contest
  24. nail — for a hammer

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