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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: ball · club · season · mate · stock · bass · land · temple

  1. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. When was this ________________ built?
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — a group
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. club — for golf
  4. bass — low music
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. mate — a partner
  7. land — a country
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. ball — a great time
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. club — for dancing
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. season — of the year
  14. temple — a place of worship
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. mate — to breed
  17. mate — a friend
  18. bass — the fish
  19. land — to come down
  20. land — ground
  21. season — in sport
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. ball — a dance

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