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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  21. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. last — to go on
  3. swing — in golf
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. stock — goods
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. snap — to speak sharply
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. last — final
  12. swing — to play on
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. club — a group
  15. swing — music
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. deal — to handle
  18. wave — with your hand
  19. last — finally
  20. wave — of the sea
  21. wave — a sudden rise
  22. stock — shares
  23. snap — to click
  24. club — for dancing

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