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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 116 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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — music
  3. lean — thin
  4. spell — magic
  5. mine — for digging
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. spell — letters
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. lean — to bend
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stock — goods
  15. stock — shares
  16. swing — to play on
  17. deal — to handle
  18. deal — an agreement

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