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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. The water is too ________________.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. What do you think of the new ________________?
  18. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. swing — music
  3. club — for dancing
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. cold — the Cold War
  6. swing — in golf
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. cold — an illness
  9. club — a group
  10. stock — shares
  11. cue — for pool
  12. cold — not warm
  13. swing — to play on
  14. stock — goods
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. mark — a trace
  19. mark — a grade
  20. cue — a hint
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. club — for golf
  24. cue — a signal

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