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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 116 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. The water is too ________________.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. spring — a coil
  3. fall — to drop
  4. swing — in golf
  5. spring — of water
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. suit — clothes
  10. fall — the season
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — the fish
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — music
  15. firm — a company
  16. fall — to drop
  17. suit — to fit
  18. cold — an illness
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. firm — decided
  21. spring — the season
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. suit — in cards
  24. firm — steady

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