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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. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  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. stock — shares
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. last — finally
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. pass — to spend time
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. last — final
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bass — low music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. stock — goods
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — hurry
  16. kid — child
  17. pass — a permit
  18. kid — to tease
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — to play on
  21. last — to go on
  22. swing — music
  23. coach — a trainer
  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