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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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  5. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. ground — the earth
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. lean — to bend
  5. scale — size or range
  6. swing — music
  7. chest — a box
  8. mate — to breed
  9. mate — a partner
  10. stock — shares
  11. ground — crushed
  12. scale — in music
  13. ground — a position
  14. chest — of your body
  15. craft — boats
  16. stock — goods
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. swing — in golf
  19. lean — thin
  20. swing — to play on
  21. craft — a skill
  22. chest — of your body
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. stock — a soup base

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