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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 116 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. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a friend
  2. rash — a series
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. leaves — of a tree
  5. swing — music
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. swing — to play on
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. rash — hasty
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. mate — to breed
  14. swing — in golf
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. cold — an illness
  17. stock — goods
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. snap — to click
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. mate — a partner
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. cold — not warm
  24. stock — shares

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