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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. swing — music
  3. swing — in golf
  4. swing — to play on
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. can — a tin
  7. spell — letters
  8. stock — goods
  9. band — a music group
  10. march — music
  11. march — the month
  12. band — a ring
  13. shower — rain
  14. object — a thing
  15. can — to be able to
  16. object — an aim
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. can — a tin
  19. march — the month
  20. stock — shares
  21. shower — to wash
  22. spell — a short time
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. object — to protest

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