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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  3. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. We're on a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. cold — the Cold War
  3. ruler — a monarch
  4. rash — a series
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. game — a match
  7. roll — a cake
  8. game — wild animals
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. rash — hasty
  12. stock — goods
  13. cold — not warm
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. ruler — for measuring
  16. swing — to play on
  17. swing — music
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. cold — an illness
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. roll — a list
  23. roll — on a roll
  24. stock — shares

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