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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
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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: stock · object · straw · track · last · season · swing · root

  1. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. David sat on the ________________.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. Did you ________________ the meat?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. season — of the year
  4. last — to go on
  5. straw — a straw man
  6. stock — shares
  7. swing — to play on
  8. swing — in golf
  9. root — the cause
  10. last — final
  11. root — of a word
  12. object — to protest
  13. season — to add flavour
  14. track — a song
  15. root — of a plant
  16. track — a path
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. season — in sport
  19. last — finally
  20. track — to keep track
  21. swing — music
  22. object — a thing
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. stock — goods

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