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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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. That was a fun ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. stock — shares
  3. file — a line of people
  4. tear — to rip
  5. fork — in a road
  6. game — a match
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. tear — from crying
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. cue — a signal
  11. swing — to play on
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. file — a document
  14. current — of water
  15. tear — from crying
  16. swing — music
  17. current — happening now
  18. game — a kind of play
  19. cue — for pool
  20. current — electric
  21. stock — goods
  22. file — a tool
  23. game — wild animals
  24. cue — a hint

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