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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  13. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. Hard work is the ________________ to success.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. court — of law
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bound — obliged
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. stock — goods
  7. bound — tied together
  8. rest — what's left
  9. straw — to clutch at straws
  10. key — in music
  11. court — of a king
  12. stem — of a plant
  13. stem — to come from
  14. swing — to play on
  15. swing — in golf
  16. stock — shares
  17. court — for sport
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. bound — certain
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. rest — a break
  22. stem — a stem cell
  23. rest — what's left
  24. key — the most important part

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