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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. He was locked up in a ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. cell — in biology
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — shares
  5. swing — to play on
  6. swing — music
  7. stock — goods
  8. swing — in golf
  9. field — farmland
  10. field — for sport
  11. field — a subject
  12. ball — a great time
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. rash — a series
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. hide — animal skin
  17. bass — the fish
  18. rash — on the skin
  19. cell — a phone
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. cell — in a prison
  23. bass — low music
  24. ball — a dance

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