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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: wake · club · face · shower · stock · jam · drill · racket

  1. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. shower — rain
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. shower — to wash
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. jam — in traffic
  14. face — part of the head
  15. face — to confront
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. drill — the tool
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. drill — a practice
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wake — a trail
  24. drill — army training

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