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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. club — a group
  4. band — a ring
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. stock — shares
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — for dancing
  12. mate — to breed
  13. race — a contest
  14. race — the arms race
  15. mate — a partner
  16. stock — goods
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mate — a friend
  19. race — humankind
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. band — a music group
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. racket — a loud noise

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