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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. sharp — clever
  3. swing — music
  4. net — for catching
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. pass — a permit
  7. swing — in golf
  8. net — after costs
  9. spell — letters
  10. race — the arms race
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stock — shares
  13. race — humankind
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. net — in sport
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. swing — to play on
  18. spell — magic
  19. race — a contest
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. pass — to succeed
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. kick — in football

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