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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  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. cap — a lid
  2. swing — in golf
  3. prune — to trim
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. shower — to wash
  6. stock — goods
  7. mug — a face
  8. suit — in cards
  9. chair — a leader
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. mug — a cup
  12. prune — to trim
  13. suit — clothes
  14. swing — music
  15. shower — rain
  16. suit — to fit
  17. mug — to rob
  18. cap — a hat
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. cap — of ice
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. prune — the fruit
  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