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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 116 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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. track — a song
  3. scale — size or range
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. track — a path
  7. season — of the year
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. season — in sport
  10. scale — in music
  11. hand — in cards
  12. fork — in a road
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. shower — to wash
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. club — for dancing
  18. hand — help
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. stock — goods
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. shower — rain
  23. club — a group
  24. stock — shares

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