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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 120 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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. stand — for spectators
  3. pop — soda
  4. wound — an injury
  5. club — for dancing
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. wound — an injury
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. stock — shares
  13. club — a group
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. saw — the tool
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. saw — the tool
  18. mine — for digging
  19. pop — music
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. pop — to visit
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. club — for golf
  24. stand — to bear

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