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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. root — of a word
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. wind — moving air
  5. stock — shares
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mark — a trace
  8. wind — moving air
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. swing — music
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. root — of a plant
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. mark — a grade
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. root — the cause
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. swing — to play on
  22. straw — a straw man
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. wind — to turn a key

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