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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. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. present — the time now
  3. track — a song
  4. swing — to play on
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. tear — from crying
  7. tear — to rip
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. fall — to drop
  10. wake — a trail
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. present — there
  14. track — a path
  15. dip — to sink
  16. track — to keep track
  17. tear — from crying
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. stock — goods
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. stock — shares
  23. swing — music
  24. present — a gift

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