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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. staff — a stick
  3. stock — shares
  4. staff — employees
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. club — a group
  8. bass — the fish
  9. bass — low music
  10. staff — employees
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. track — to keep track
  14. wind — moving air
  15. pop — soda
  16. rush — hurry
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. pop — to visit
  19. track — a song
  20. stock — goods
  21. club — for golf
  22. wind — moving air
  23. track — a path
  24. pop — 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