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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 hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. Did you ________________ the meat?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. hand — help
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. mine — for digging
  7. stock — goods
  8. fork — in a road
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mug — to rob
  11. swing — music
  12. mug — a cup
  13. season — in sport
  14. mug — a face
  15. swing — to play on
  16. hand — in cards
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. swing — in golf
  19. season — to add flavour
  20. stock — shares
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. season — of the year
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. pound — a weight

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