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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  22. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. swing — in golf
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. swing — music
  6. court — of a king
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. bass — low music
  9. stock — shares
  10. stock — goods
  11. court — for sport
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. shower — rain
  14. bear — the animal
  15. shower — to wash
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. swing — to play on
  18. band — a ring
  19. bass — the fish
  20. sharp — clever
  21. band — a music group
  22. court — of law
  23. bear — the animal
  24. sharp — with an edge

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