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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 124 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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. swing — in golf
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. cell — a phone
  5. drill — army training
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. present — a gift
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. cell — in biology
  10. swing — music
  11. present — the time now
  12. drill — a practice
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. hand — in cards
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. bulb — for light
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. stock — shares
  19. stock — goods
  20. drill — the tool
  21. bulb — for light
  22. present — there
  23. hand — help
  24. bulb — of a plant

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