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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. Did you ________________ the meat?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  9. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. season — to add flavour
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. rush — hurry
  6. ball — a dance
  7. swing — music
  8. tear — to rip
  9. bank — for money
  10. stock — shares
  11. ball — a great time
  12. bank — of a river
  13. stock — goods
  14. tear — from crying
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. tear — from crying
  17. bank — for money
  18. swing — to play on
  19. season — in sport
  20. swing — in golf
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. season — of the year

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