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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. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  17. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  18. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  22. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.

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

Answer key

  1. craft — boats
  2. stock — shares
  3. jam — to spread on bread
  4. swing — in golf
  5. jam — a tight spot
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — music
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. season — in sport
  10. chair — a leader
  11. ground — a position
  12. season — of the year
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. deal — to handle
  15. ground — crushed
  16. chair — to sit on
  17. deal — an agreement
  18. jam — in traffic
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. stock — goods
  21. chair — a professorship
  22. craft — a handicraft
  23. ground — the earth
  24. craft — a skill

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