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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. club — a group
  4. rush — hurry
  5. object — a thing
  6. game — a match
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. club — for golf
  10. can — a tin
  11. can — to be able to
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. can — a tin
  14. object — to protest
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. season — in sport
  18. object — an aim
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. club — for dancing
  21. season — of the year
  22. game — wild animals
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stock — a soup base

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