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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  20. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. club — for golf
  3. club — for dancing
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. club — a group
  8. march — the month
  9. hand — in cards
  10. season — in sport
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. stock — goods
  14. march — the month
  15. rock — a stone
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. rock — music
  19. season — of the year
  20. march — music
  21. hand — help
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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