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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 was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. The King held a masked ________________.
  16. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a great time
  2. season — of the year
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. season — in sport
  6. bear — the animal
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. bear — the animal
  10. stock — shares
  11. rush — hurry
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. swing — to play on
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. ball — a dance
  16. bear — to put up with
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. stock — goods
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. kid — child
  22. swing — in golf
  23. pound — a weight
  24. swing — music

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