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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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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  12. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  13. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. drill — a practice
  3. track — a song
  4. drill — army training
  5. track — to keep track
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. swing — music
  8. swing — to play on
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. drill — the tool
  12. kick — in football
  13. fine — all right
  14. track — a path
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — goods
  18. swing — in golf

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