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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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  21. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. stock — goods
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. swing — in golf
  5. season — of the year
  6. season — in sport
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. leaves — lets stay
  10. stock — shares
  11. shower — to wash
  12. shower — rain
  13. pop — music
  14. pop — to visit
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. march — music
  17. march — the month
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. branch — a division
  21. branch — of a tree
  22. pop — soda
  23. march — the month
  24. swing — to play on

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