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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. present — the time now
  5. swing — in golf
  6. track — a song
  7. stock — shares
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. rule — a law
  11. swing — music
  12. track — to keep track
  13. sharp — clever
  14. stock — goods
  15. present — there
  16. present — a gift
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. pitch — completely
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. swing — to play on
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rule — government
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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