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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I'll be taking the ________________.
  4. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  14. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  15. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. I've got to change the light ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. swing — in golf
  3. tube — the underground
  4. mug — a cup
  5. file — a line of people
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. swing — to play on
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. stock — shares
  10. bulb — of a plant
  11. file — a tool
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. mine — an explosive
  14. tube — a container
  15. mug — a face
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. bulb — for light
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. bulb — for light
  20. swing — music
  21. stock — goods
  22. mine — for digging
  23. file — a document
  24. racket — a loud noise

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