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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: game · trunk · rush · land · club · shower · mark · stock

  1. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. That was a fun ________________.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a kind of play
  2. mark — a grade
  3. game — wild animals
  4. game — a match
  5. club — a group
  6. rush — to hurry
  7. club — for dancing
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. land — ground
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mark — to pay attention
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. shower — rain
  14. stock — goods
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. land — a country
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. mark — a trace
  19. stock — shares
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. shower — to wash
  22. land — to come down
  23. club — for golf
  24. rush — hurry

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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