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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  18. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  19. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  24. Biology is a ________________ of science.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. swing — music
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. stock — goods
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. kick — a thrill
  8. bear — the animal
  9. squash — the sport
  10. kick — in football
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bat — the animal
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. branch — of a tree
  15. stock — shares
  16. swing — to play on
  17. cap — of ice
  18. squash — to crush
  19. branch — of a bank
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. cap — a hat
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. bear — the animal
  24. branch — a division

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