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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  23. When will it ________________ you to start?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. swing — to play on
  3. roll — a cake
  4. suit — in cards
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. stock — goods
  7. swing — music
  8. bore — to tire
  9. mine — for digging
  10. season — of the year
  11. mine — belonging to me
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. suit — clothes
  14. kick — in football
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. bore — to drill
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. roll — a list
  20. swing — in golf
  21. season — in sport
  22. kick — a thrill
  23. suit — to fit
  24. stock — shares

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