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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. shower — rain
  3. swing — music
  4. field — a subject
  5. foot — the bottom
  6. stock — goods
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. mate — a friend
  9. mate — to breed
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. band — a music group
  12. swing — in golf
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. shower — to wash
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. mate — a partner
  19. stock — shares
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. band — a ring
  22. field — for sport
  23. field — farmland
  24. foot — a measure

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