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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  23. Did you ________________ the meat?
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. mug — a face
  3. season — in sport
  4. fine — all right
  5. ground — the earth
  6. swing — music
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. swing — to play on
  9. season — of the year
  10. hand — help
  11. swing — in golf
  12. stock — shares
  13. hand — in cards
  14. fine — high quality
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. club — a group
  17. ground — a position
  18. club — for dancing
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. club — for golf
  21. mug — to rob
  22. ground — crushed
  23. season — to add flavour
  24. mug — a cup

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