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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. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. rest — a break
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. charge — a price
  8. charge — electricity
  9. wound — an injury
  10. stock — goods
  11. club — for dancing
  12. game — a match
  13. track — a song
  14. club — for golf
  15. board — a committee
  16. board — a flat piece
  17. board — to get on
  18. track — to keep track
  19. charge — in control
  20. stock — shares
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. track — a path
  24. wound — an injury

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