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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  11. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  14. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. How do you ________________ your surname?
  17. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  21. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. swing — in golf
  3. swing — to play on
  4. spell — magic
  5. stock — goods
  6. wake — a trail
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. stock — shares
  10. lash — a whip stroke
  11. scale — in music
  12. swing — music
  13. lash — an eyelash
  14. bark — a dog's sound
  15. scale — size or range
  16. spell — letters
  17. lash — to lash out
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bark — to shout
  20. wake — before a funeral
  21. bark — of a tree
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. spell — a short time
  24. stock — a soup base

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