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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. The water is too ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. rest — a break
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. swing — music
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. bay — a part of the sea
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. bay — to keep at bay
  9. can — to be able to
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. can — a tin
  12. cold — an illness
  13. swing — to play on
  14. rest — what's left
  15. rest — what's left
  16. can — a tin
  17. stock — goods
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. swing — in golf
  20. stock — shares
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. deal — to handle
  24. racket — a loud noise

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