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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Where did you ________________ them?
  22. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. toast — bread
  3. cap — of ice
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. stock — shares
  6. mug — a face
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. swing — in golf
  9. bat — the animal
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. toast — a drink to someone
  12. swing — to play on
  13. kid — child
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. cap — a lid
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. mug — a cup
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. mug — to rob
  22. kid — to tease
  23. cap — a hat
  24. stock — goods

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