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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 from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: mate · swing · vault · stock · club · rash · key · root

  1. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. root — of a word
  3. swing — in golf
  4. mate — a partner
  5. club — a group
  6. key — the most important part
  7. vault — an arched ceiling
  8. stock — goods
  9. rash — a series
  10. club — for dancing
  11. mate — a friend
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. mate — to breed
  14. swing — music
  15. rash — hasty
  16. vault — a safe
  17. root — of a plant
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. swing — to play on
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. root — the cause
  22. stock — shares
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

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