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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 King held a masked ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. ball — a dance
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. last — finally
  5. degree — temperature
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. fan — to cool the air
  10. ball — a great time
  11. degree — from a university
  12. last — to go on
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. degree — an amount
  15. club — a group
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. club — for golf
  20. stock — shares
  21. lie — to recline
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. stock — goods
  24. last — final

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