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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. swing — in golf
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. stock — shares
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. mine — for digging
  8. leaves — of a tree
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. content — happy
  11. swing — music
  12. degree — from a university
  13. content — videos and posts
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. swing — to play on
  16. stock — goods
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. degree — temperature
  22. content — the amount
  23. degree — an amount
  24. stock — a soup base

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