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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  16. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. club — for dancing
  3. current — happening now
  4. current — electric
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. suit — clothes
  7. cell — a phone
  8. toast — bread
  9. fork — in a road
  10. current — of water
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. prune — to trim
  16. toast — a drink to someone
  17. suit — to fit
  18. suit — in cards
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. prune — to trim
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. club — for golf
  23. cell — in biology
  24. toast — the most admired

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