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

Word bank: stock · court · cold · bay · mate · swing · present · stick

  1. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  7. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — music
  2. court — of law
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — to breed
  6. cold — the Cold War
  7. court — of a king
  8. swing — in golf
  9. present — there
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. stock — goods
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. cold — an illness
  14. stick — a piece of wood
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stock — shares
  17. cold — not warm
  18. mate — a friend
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. court — for sport
  22. present — the time now
  23. present — a gift
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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