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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. swing — music
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. pass — a permit
  7. shower — rain
  8. clip — to cut
  9. deal — an agreement
  10. charge — a price
  11. clip — for paper
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. charge — in control
  14. deal — to handle
  15. charge — electricity
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. swing — in golf
  18. branch — of a tree
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. stock — shares
  21. clip — a video
  22. shower — to wash
  23. branch — a division
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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