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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 120 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I've got to change the light ________________.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. wind — moving air
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. capital — a big letter
  6. bulb — for light
  7. swing — in golf
  8. swing — to play on
  9. rock — a stone
  10. object — an aim
  11. capital — a city
  12. swing — music
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. stock — shares
  15. bulb — for light
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. wind — moving air
  18. object — a thing
  19. capital — money
  20. rush — hurry
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. stock — goods
  24. object — to protest

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