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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. present — the time now
  3. track — a path
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. squash — the sport
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a flat piece
  8. stock — shares
  9. present — a gift
  10. pop — to visit
  11. track — a song
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. swing — in golf
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. swing — to play on
  16. pop — music
  17. present — there
  18. swing — music
  19. pop — soda
  20. squash — to crush
  21. stock — goods
  22. kid — child
  23. kid — to tease
  24. board — a committee

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