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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  23. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. stock — shares
  3. wind — moving air
  4. club — for golf
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mug — a face
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. stock — goods
  9. stem — to come from
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. club — for dancing
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. mouse — for a computer
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. club — a group
  20. mug — to rob
  21. hand — in cards
  22. mug — a cup
  23. wind — moving air
  24. mouse — the animal

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