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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 120 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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. wake — a trail
  4. swing — to play on
  5. bass — low music
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. rash — hasty
  9. march — the month
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. rash — a series
  12. mug — a cup
  13. bass — the fish
  14. mug — to rob
  15. march — the month
  16. pit — in a race
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. mug — a face
  19. swing — music
  20. swing — in golf
  21. stock — shares
  22. march — music
  23. pit — a hole
  24. stock — goods

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