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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 · pop · land · stock · bore · file · racket · suit

  1. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. suit — clothes
  3. suit — in cards
  4. club — for golf
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. club — a group
  7. bore — to drill
  8. stock — goods
  9. pop — soda
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. land — to come down
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. stock — shares
  14. suit — to fit
  15. club — for dancing
  16. land — a country
  17. bore — to tire
  18. pop — to visit
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. pop — music
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. file — a tool

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