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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  15. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. track — to keep track
  3. swing — to play on
  4. swing — in golf
  5. season — in sport
  6. jam — in traffic
  7. track — a path
  8. jam — a tight spot
  9. mate — a friend
  10. swing — music
  11. stock — shares
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. mate — to breed
  14. season — of the year
  15. bulb — of a plant
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. jam — to spread on bread
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. track — a song
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bulb — for light
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. bulb — for light
  24. stock — a soup base

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