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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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. swing — to play on
  3. club — for dancing
  4. stock — shares
  5. stock — goods
  6. lean — to rest against
  7. swing — music
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. club — for golf
  10. mine — belonging to me
  11. season — in sport
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. net — after costs
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. net — in sport
  17. season — of the year
  18. club — a group
  19. net — for catching
  20. lean — thin
  21. lean — to bend
  22. mine — for digging
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. season — to add flavour

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