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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. You shouldn't ________________ things.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. rest — what's left
  3. club — for golf
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. club — a group
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. rush — hurry
  8. date — the fruit
  9. mine — for digging
  10. stock — goods
  11. club — for dancing
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. rest — what's left
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. swing — music
  17. stock — shares
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. mine — an explosive
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rest — a break
  22. swing — in golf
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. rush — to hurry

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