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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  15. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. David sat on the ________________.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. lean — to rest against
  4. tube — the underground
  5. hand — in cards
  6. swing — music
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. fork — to eat with
  10. swing — in golf
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. stock — goods
  14. lean — thin
  15. lean — to bend
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. game — a match
  20. swing — to play on
  21. hand — help
  22. game — wild animals
  23. tube — a container
  24. stock — shares

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