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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. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — a law
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. stock — goods
  4. swing — music
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. net — after costs
  8. swing — in golf
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. kid — child
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rule — government
  14. stand — to bear
  15. mark — a grade
  16. net — in sport
  17. stand — on your feet
  18. swing — to play on
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. net — for catching
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. stock — shares

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