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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  5. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  18. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  19. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  20. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. We're on a ________________ here.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. stock — shares
  3. swing — in golf
  4. chip — to eat
  5. pitch — a sales talk
  6. ground — crushed
  7. swing — to play on
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. prune — to trim
  10. roll — a cake
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. ground — a position
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. stock — goods
  17. stem — to come from
  18. prune — the fruit
  19. prune — to trim
  20. roll — a list
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. roll — on a roll
  23. chip — for betting
  24. pitch — completely

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