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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. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He is an ace ________________.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. cap — a lid
  5. content — the amount
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. pitcher — in baseball
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. foot — a measure
  12. cap — of ice
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. club — for dancing
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. cap — a hat
  17. stock — shares
  18. content — happy
  19. wind — moving air
  20. club — for golf
  21. wind — moving air
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. stock — goods

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