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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rash — hasty
  3. stock — goods
  4. swing — in golf
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rest — a break
  7. rest — what's left
  8. march — the month
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. rash — a series
  12. swing — to play on
  13. march — music
  14. dip — to sink
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. drill — the tool
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. drill — army training
  20. march — the month
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. stock — shares
  23. drill — a practice
  24. rest — what's left

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