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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. swing — music
  4. wound — an injury
  5. chest — a box
  6. pound — a weight
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. charge — a price
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. pound — to hit hard
  11. wound — an injury
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. swing — in golf
  14. charge — in control
  15. charge — electricity
  16. swing — to play on
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. date — on the calendar
  20. stock — goods
  21. chest — of your body
  22. rush — hurry
  23. chest — of your body
  24. date — the fruit

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