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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  21. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. tear — from crying
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. last — final
  6. stock — goods
  7. object — a thing
  8. last — finally
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. last — to go on
  12. club — for golf
  13. object — to protest
  14. club — for dancing
  15. object — an aim
  16. tear — to rip
  17. pound — a weight
  18. degree — an amount
  19. degree — from a university
  20. degree — temperature
  21. tear — from crying
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stock — shares
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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