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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. club — for dancing
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. safe — a strongbox
  6. track — a song
  7. band — a ring
  8. stock — goods
  9. club — a group
  10. kid — to tease
  11. band — a rubber band
  12. rash — a series
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. track — a path
  16. racket — a loud noise
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. club — for golf
  20. kid — child
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rash — hasty
  23. band — a music group
  24. safe — out of danger

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