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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rock — music
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. object — to protest
  5. stock — goods
  6. wound — an injury
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. mug — a face
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. wound — an injury
  12. foot — a measure
  13. mug — to rob
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. swing — in golf
  17. mug — a cup
  18. foot — part of the body
  19. object — an aim
  20. rock — a stone
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. object — a thing
  23. stock — shares
  24. swing — to play on

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