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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. stock — goods
  3. wake — a trail
  4. swing — to play on
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. mug — to rob
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. game — a match
  9. game — wild animals
  10. file — a line of people
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. stock — shares
  14. sharp — clever
  15. file — a document
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. mug — a face
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. swing — music
  20. file — a tool
  21. mug — a cup
  22. scale — in music
  23. scale — size or range
  24. wake — before a funeral

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