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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  8. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  15. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. scale — size or range
  5. bank — for money
  6. stock — goods
  7. bore — gave birth
  8. club — for golf
  9. season — in sport
  10. bore — to tire
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. bank — for money
  13. season — of the year
  14. bowl — a football final
  15. bore — to drill
  16. club — for dancing
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. bank — of a river
  19. stock — shares
  20. date — the fruit
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. bowl — to roll
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. scale — in music

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