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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. When will it ________________ you to start?
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. rash — hasty
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. stock — goods
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. wound — an injury
  7. suit — to fit
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stock — shares
  10. rash — a series
  11. wound — an injury
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. suit — clothes
  14. suit — in cards
  15. swing — music
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. fork — in a road
  18. fork — a garden tool
  19. swing — to play on
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. swing — in golf
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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