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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Have you settled on a ________________?
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  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. craft — a skill
  3. clip — to cut
  4. track — a path
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. date — the fruit
  7. club — for dancing
  8. clip — a video
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. club — a group
  14. clip — for paper
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. stock — goods
  18. fork — in a road
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. craft — boats
  21. track — to keep track
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. track — a song
  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