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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. stock — shares
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. lean — thin
  5. wind — moving air
  6. season — in sport
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. lean — to bend
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. swing — in golf
  14. face — to point toward
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. season — of the year
  17. lean — to rest against
  18. face — to confront
  19. face — part of the head
  20. mine — for digging
  21. leaves — lets stay
  22. stock — goods
  23. wind — moving air
  24. swing — to play on

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