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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 120 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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. David sat on the ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  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. season — in sport
  2. swing — in golf
  3. stock — shares
  4. squash — to crush
  5. bass — low music
  6. march — music
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. season — of the year
  9. squash — the sport
  10. swing — to play on
  11. face — part of the head
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. bass — the fish
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. stock — goods
  18. march — the month
  19. swing — music
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. face — to confront
  22. march — the month
  23. face — to point toward
  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