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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. Where did you ________________ them?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. last — to go on
  3. pop — music
  4. file — a tool
  5. stock — shares
  6. lash — to lash out
  7. pop — to visit
  8. pop — soda
  9. club — for dancing
  10. last — finally
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. rule — a law
  13. rule — government
  14. last — final
  15. mug — to rob
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. file — a document
  19. stock — goods
  20. mug — a face
  21. file — a line of people
  22. club — for golf
  23. club — a group
  24. mug — a cup

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