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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  4. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  7. When are we going to ________________?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. David sat on the ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. club — a group
  3. leaves — of a tree
  4. leaves — lets stay
  5. cue — a signal
  6. cue — a hint
  7. land — to come down
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. land — ground
  10. club — for dancing
  11. stock — shares
  12. land — a country
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. foot — a measure
  17. swing — in golf
  18. swing — music
  19. mug — a face
  20. club — for golf
  21. mug — to rob
  22. swing — to play on
  23. mug — a cup
  24. cue — for pool

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