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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. We're on a ________________ here.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. stock — shares
  3. swing — in golf
  4. bank — of a river
  5. bank — for money
  6. roll — a cake
  7. swing — to play on
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. toast — the most admired
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. roll — a list
  13. stock — goods
  14. toast — bread
  15. rash — hasty
  16. roll — on a roll
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. bank — for money
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. rash — a series
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. swing — music

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