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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 116 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 hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  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. racket — for tennis
  2. swing — music
  3. board — a committee
  4. pop — to visit
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. clip — for paper
  8. pop — soda
  9. swing — in golf
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. chair — a leader
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. swing — to play on
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. board — to get on
  17. clip — a video
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. stock — shares
  20. stock — goods
  21. perch — the fish
  22. pop — music
  23. clip — to cut
  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