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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. bore — to tire
  5. net — after costs
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. rock — music
  9. content — happy
  10. rock — a stone
  11. stock — goods
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. date — the fruit
  14. stock — shares
  15. club — for golf
  16. net — for catching
  17. bore — to drill
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. net — in sport
  21. content — the amount
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. date — on the calendar

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