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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: bear · mine · racket · club · court · stock · row · rule

  1. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  4. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. club — for golf
  3. mine — for digging
  4. rule — a law
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. club — a group
  7. row — to paddle
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bear — the animal
  11. stock — shares
  12. stock — goods
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. court — of law
  15. court — of a king
  16. court — for sport
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. rule — government
  21. row — a line
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. rule — to rule out

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