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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  22. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. swing — music
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — shares
  5. race — a contest
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. season — of the year
  8. march — music
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. race — the arms race
  12. vault — a safe
  13. march — the month
  14. swing — to play on
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bear — the animal
  17. swing — in golf
  18. march — the month
  19. season — in sport
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. bear — the animal
  22. race — humankind
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. vault — in gymnastics

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