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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  22. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  23. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. stock — shares
  5. bank — for money
  6. land — a country
  7. bank — of a river
  8. swing — to play on
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. last — finally
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — an agreement
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. land — to come down
  15. present — a gift
  16. stock — goods
  17. last — final
  18. last — to go on
  19. swing — music
  20. deal — to handle
  21. present — there
  22. land — ground
  23. bank — for money
  24. present — the time now

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