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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  6. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  7. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. face — to confront
  3. pound — a weight
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. branch — of a bank
  6. branch — a division
  7. tear — from crying
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. fine — high quality
  12. sharp — clever
  13. tear — to rip
  14. tear — from crying
  15. swing — music
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. face — to point toward
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. fine — all right
  22. face — part of the head
  23. stock — goods
  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