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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  17. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. file — a line of people
  4. stock — shares
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. club — a group
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. bore — to drill
  9. wake — a trail
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. staff — employees
  12. club — for dancing
  13. file — a tool
  14. club — for golf
  15. game — a match
  16. staff — employees
  17. fine — high quality
  18. stock — goods
  19. game — wild animals
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. file — a document
  23. fine — all right
  24. bore — to tire

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