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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  24. Tom got himself in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. tube — a container
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. tube — the underground
  8. fine — all right
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. fine — high quality
  14. stock — shares
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. swing — in golf
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rest — a break
  21. stock — goods
  22. deal — to handle
  23. swing — music
  24. jam — a tight spot

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