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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. swing — in golf
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. swing — music
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. clip — for paper
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. jam — in traffic
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. staff — employees
  13. staff — employees
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. swing — to play on
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. rash — hasty
  19. clip — a video
  20. stock — goods
  21. stock — shares
  22. staff — a stick
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. clip — to cut

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