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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. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Did you ________________ the meat?
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. season — of the year
  2. club — for golf
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. shower — rain
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. season — to add flavour
  7. can — to be able to
  8. shower — to wash
  9. stock — shares
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. club — for dancing
  12. firm — steady
  13. season — in sport
  14. firm — a company
  15. can — a tin
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. fork — in a road
  19. firm — decided
  20. stock — goods
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. can — a tin
  23. mine — for digging
  24. club — a group

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