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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. track — a path
  2. chair — a leader
  3. swing — to play on
  4. suit — in cards
  5. suit — to fit
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. track — a song
  8. swing — music
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. track — to keep track
  12. swing — in golf
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. wind — moving air
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. suit — clothes
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. can — a tin
  21. stock — shares
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. wind — moving air
  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