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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 124 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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: swing · rush · wake · fan · stock · chest · present · ruler

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  9. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  10. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  18. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  19. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  23. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. chest — of your body
  7. stock — shares
  8. ruler — a monarch
  9. chest — of your body
  10. swing — in golf
  11. present — the time now
  12. wake — to stop sleeping
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. stock — goods
  15. swing — to play on
  16. present — there
  17. rush — hurry
  18. fan — to cool the air
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. wake — a trail
  21. present — a gift
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chest — a box

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