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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  18. The King held a masked ________________.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. toast — bread
  3. stem — of a plant
  4. object — to protest
  5. club — a group
  6. clip — for paper
  7. club — for golf
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. clip — a video
  12. object — a thing
  13. stem — a stem cell
  14. object — an aim
  15. stem — to come from
  16. ball — a great time
  17. toast — a drink to someone
  18. ball — a dance
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. dip — to sink
  21. stock — goods
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. clip — to cut
  24. stock — shares

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