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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  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. ground — a position
  2. club — for dancing
  3. mark — a trace
  4. club — for golf
  5. craft — a skill
  6. craft — a handicraft
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — shares
  9. track — a song
  10. row — to paddle
  11. vault — a safe
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. ground — the earth
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. track — to keep track
  16. craft — boats
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. vault — an arched ceiling
  20. mark — a grade
  21. ground — crushed
  22. track — a path
  23. row — a line
  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