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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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  20. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. present — there
  3. tube — a container
  4. wind — moving air
  5. mate — to breed
  6. pass — to succeed
  7. wind — moving air
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. swing — in golf
  10. mug — to rob
  11. tube — the underground
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. present — the time now
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. pass — a permit
  16. present — a gift
  17. stock — goods
  18. mug — a face
  19. swing — music
  20. mate — a friend
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. mate — a partner
  23. swing — to play on
  24. mug — a cup

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