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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. stock — goods
  3. rule — a law
  4. pitch — completely
  5. rule — government
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. club — for dancing
  8. snap — to click
  9. club — for golf
  10. march — the month
  11. stock — shares
  12. march — the month
  13. current — of water
  14. march — music
  15. last — final
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. last — to go on
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. current — happening now
  21. last — finally
  22. current — electric
  23. pitch — a sales talk
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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