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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. present — a gift
  3. track — to keep track
  4. present — the time now
  5. swing — music
  6. press — to push
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. present — there
  10. track — a song
  11. press — a publisher
  12. stock — goods
  13. scale — size or range
  14. dip — to sink
  15. swing — to play on
  16. track — a path
  17. swing — in golf
  18. press — newspapers
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. scale — in music
  22. stock — shares
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. dip — a sauce

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