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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. stock — goods
  3. field — a subject
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. drill — the tool
  6. object — an aim
  7. swing — to play on
  8. drill — army training
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. drill — a practice
  11. field — for sport
  12. object — a thing
  13. cue — a signal
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. swing — in golf
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stock — shares
  18. object — to protest
  19. cue — a hint
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. field — farmland
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. cue — for pool
  24. kick — in football

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