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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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Word bank
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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: club · shower · stock · season · band · swing · stand · race

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. season — in sport
  4. club — for golf
  5. stand — to bear
  6. shower — to wash
  7. race — a contest
  8. swing — music
  9. band — a music group
  10. shower — rain
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — goods
  14. club — a group
  15. swing — to play on
  16. season — of the year
  17. club — for dancing
  18. race — the arms race
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. race — humankind
  23. band — a ring
  24. stock — shares

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