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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. club — a group
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. spell — letters
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. band — a ring
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. club — for golf
  12. plane — a tool
  13. band — a music group
  14. stock — shares
  15. spell — a short time
  16. squash — the sport
  17. hand — help
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. spell — magic
  21. hand — in cards
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. stock — goods
  24. squash — to crush

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