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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  8. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. file — a line of people
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. current — of water
  5. net — for catching
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. craft — a handicraft
  8. deal — to handle
  9. stock — goods
  10. file — a document
  11. file — a tool
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. swing — in golf
  14. squash — to crush
  15. swing — to play on
  16. net — after costs
  17. current — electric
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. current — happening now
  20. swing — music
  21. craft — boats
  22. stock — shares
  23. craft — a skill
  24. net — in sport

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