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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 116 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. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. pass — to succeed
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. club — a group
  5. content — happy
  6. club — for golf
  7. march — music
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. march — the month
  10. track — a path
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. content — videos and posts
  13. track — to keep track
  14. march — the month
  15. club — for dancing
  16. stock — goods
  17. hand — help
  18. track — a song
  19. content — the amount
  20. hand — in cards
  21. pass — a permit
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. fan — a supporter

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