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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. wound — an injury
  3. tube — the underground
  4. swing — in golf
  5. season — in sport
  6. net — after costs
  7. net — for catching
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. season — of the year
  12. squash — to crush
  13. tube — a container
  14. net — in sport
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. race — the arms race
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. race — humankind
  20. swing — to play on
  21. wound — an injury
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. race — a contest
  24. squash — the sport

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