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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 120 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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. You don't need to ________________ round.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. David sat on the ________________.
  13. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  17. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. swing — in golf
  3. pop — to visit
  4. stock — shares
  5. rule — a law
  6. stock — goods
  7. chest — of your body
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rule — to rule out
  11. swing — music
  12. swing — to play on
  13. safe — a strongbox
  14. band — a ring
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. pop — music
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. chest — a box
  20. band — a rubber band
  21. chest — of your body
  22. band — a music group
  23. rule — government
  24. safe — out of danger

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