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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: firm · bowl · game · stock · snap · arm · swing · jam

  1. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  17. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  18. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — a dish
  2. stock — goods
  3. game — a match
  4. swing — music
  5. stock — shares
  6. swing — in golf
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. snap — to speak sharply
  11. firm — decided
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. swing — to play on
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. firm — steady
  17. firm — a company
  18. jam — to spread on bread
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. game — wild animals
  23. snap — to click
  24. game — a kind of play

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