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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: track · swing · kid · spell · stock · temple · press · date

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. How do you ________________ your surname?
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  13. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. Did you ________________ the button?
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. When was this ________________ built?
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  22. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  23. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  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. stock — goods
  2. spell — letters
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. spell — magic
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a song
  9. spell — a short time
  10. swing — music
  11. swing — to play on
  12. date — the fruit
  13. kid — child
  14. stock — shares
  15. swing — in golf
  16. press — to push
  17. kid — to tease
  18. temple — a place of worship
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. track — a path
  21. press — a publisher
  22. press — newspapers
  23. temple — a place of worship
  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