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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. scale — size or range
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. game — wild animals
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. mate — to breed
  9. stock — shares
  10. swing — music
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mate — a friend
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mate — a partner
  16. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  17. scale — in music
  18. swing — to play on
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. kid — to tease
  21. stock — goods
  22. game — a match
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. kid — child

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