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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 124 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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. stock — shares
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. spring — the season
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. rash — hasty
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. swing — to play on
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. rash — a series
  15. stock — goods
  16. season — in sport
  17. spring — a coil
  18. season — of the year
  19. pass — to spend time
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. spring — of water
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. swing — music
  24. swing — in golf

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