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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 116 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 coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — in golf
  2. stock — goods
  3. object — a thing
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. face — part of the head
  9. cold — not warm
  10. swing — music
  11. cold — an illness
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. object — an aim
  15. swing — to play on
  16. object — to protest
  17. face — to confront
  18. saw — the tool
  19. stock — shares
  20. saw — the tool
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. face — to point toward
  24. cell — in biology

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