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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: cap · ball · straw · stock · rule · club · mug · ground

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. mug — a face
  3. ball — a great time
  4. mug — to rob
  5. cap — of ice
  6. club — a group
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. ground — a position
  9. club — for golf
  10. ground — the earth
  11. stock — shares
  12. mug — a cup
  13. rule — a law
  14. club — for dancing
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. ground — crushed
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. cap — a lid
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. cap — a hat
  22. rule — government
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. stock — goods

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