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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  11. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. ground — the earth
  3. stock — goods
  4. swing — music
  5. rash — a series
  6. fall — to drop
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. ground — a position
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. fan — a supporter
  12. hand — in cards
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. swing — to play on
  17. fall — the season
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. fall — to drop
  20. swing — in golf
  21. hand — help
  22. ground — crushed
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. rash — hasty

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