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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 got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  11. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. club — a group
  3. prune — the fruit
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. club — for golf
  9. track — a song
  10. prune — to trim
  11. dip — to sink
  12. game — wild animals
  13. roll — a cake
  14. hand — help
  15. track — to keep track
  16. roll — a list
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. stock — goods
  19. game — a match
  20. stock — shares
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. track — a path
  23. prune — to trim
  24. club — for dancing

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