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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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. rock — music
  4. row — to paddle
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stock — goods
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. row — a quarrel
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. rock — a stone
  21. stock — shares
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. swing — to play on

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