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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. ball — a great time
  3. stock — shares
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. shower — rain
  6. stock — goods
  7. swing — music
  8. ball — a dance
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. file — a document
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. board — to get on
  14. file — a line of people
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. prune — to trim
  18. shower — to wash
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. prune — to trim
  21. file — a tool
  22. swing — in golf
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. board — a committee

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