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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — shares
  4. swing — in golf
  5. spring — a coil
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. swing — to play on
  8. spring — the season
  9. spring — of water
  10. firm — a company
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. firm — decided
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. track — a song
  19. swing — music
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. dip — to sink
  22. track — to keep track
  23. firm — steady
  24. dip — a sauce

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