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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. When will it ________________ you to start?
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — goods
  4. suit — to fit
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. root — of a word
  7. hand — in cards
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. bass — the fish
  10. hand — help
  11. swing — in golf
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. root — the cause
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. face — part of the head
  18. root — of a plant
  19. suit — clothes
  20. stock — shares
  21. swing — to play on
  22. suit — in cards
  23. face — to point toward
  24. face — to confront

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