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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. Did you ________________ the meat?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. season — to add flavour
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. band — a ring
  6. wind — moving air
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. swing — in golf
  9. band — a music group
  10. object — an aim
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. lie — to recline
  13. season — of the year
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. stock — goods
  16. swing — music
  17. wind — moving air
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. swing — to play on
  20. season — in sport
  21. object — to protest
  22. object — a thing
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. nail — on a finger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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