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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. swing — music
  3. suit — to fit
  4. last — to go on
  5. cap — of ice
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. cap — a hat
  9. swing — in golf
  10. suit — in cards
  11. season — of the year
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. cap — a lid
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. last — final
  16. stock — shares
  17. net — for catching
  18. suit — clothes
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. swing — to play on
  22. net — after costs
  23. last — finally
  24. net — in sport

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