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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. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  11. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. staff — a stick
  3. staff — employees
  4. face — to point toward
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. bore — to tire
  8. band — a music group
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. bore — to drill
  11. wave — of the sea
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. rush — hurry
  14. club — a group
  15. face — to confront
  16. club — for golf
  17. staff — employees
  18. face — part of the head
  19. band — a rubber band
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. band — a ring
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. rush — a thrill

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