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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. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  23. We're almost out of ________________.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. cold — the Cold War
  2. court — of law
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. bank — of a river
  6. bank — for money
  7. stock — shares
  8. pop — music
  9. track — to keep track
  10. swing — in golf
  11. cold — not warm
  12. swing — music
  13. stock — goods
  14. track — a song
  15. court — for sport
  16. court — of a king
  17. cold — an illness
  18. pop — to visit
  19. track — a path
  20. bank — for money
  21. swing — to play on
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. pop — soda
  24. stock — a soup base

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