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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. David sat on the ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. How do you ________________ your surname?
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. swing — to play on
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. can — a tin
  5. stock — goods
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. can — a tin
  8. track — a path
  9. land — to come down
  10. spell — letters
  11. land — ground
  12. spell — a short time
  13. can — to be able to
  14. track — to keep track
  15. stock — shares
  16. swing — in golf
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rule — government
  19. swing — music
  20. spell — magic
  21. rule — a law
  22. land — a country
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. rule — to rule out

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