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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. club — for dancing
  3. branch — of a tree
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. club — a group
  6. rule — government
  7. stock — goods
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. rule — a law
  11. pit — in a race
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. face — to confront
  14. branch — a division
  15. game — a match
  16. branch — of a bank
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. face — part of the head
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. face — to point toward
  21. stock — shares
  22. game — wild animals
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. club — for golf

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