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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. fine — all right
  3. stock — shares
  4. stock — goods
  5. club — for golf
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. season — of the year
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. rash — a series
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. rash — hasty
  13. fine — high quality
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. mug — a face
  16. rest — a break
  17. rest — what's left
  18. club — for dancing
  19. rest — what's left
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. season — in sport
  22. mug — a cup
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. club — a group

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