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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  10. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. track — to keep track
  4. squash — to crush
  5. wave — with your hand
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. track — a song
  8. squash — the sport
  9. safe — out of danger
  10. wave — of the sea
  11. mine — for digging
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. track — a path
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. swing — music
  18. bark — to shout
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. swing — to play on
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. swing — in golf

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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