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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  17. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. face — to confront
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. swing — music
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. swing — to play on
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. face — part of the head
  16. wind — moving air
  17. roll — a cake
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. roll — a list
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. fan — to cool the air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. face — to point toward
  24. wind — to turn a key

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