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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 120 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: season · dip · temple · tear · stock · bat · rock · swing

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  13. When was this ________________ built?
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  23. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  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. rock — music
  2. swing — music
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. stock — shares
  5. bat — the animal
  6. temple — a place of worship
  7. swing — in golf
  8. rock — a stone
  9. dip — to sink
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. swing — to play on
  12. tear — to rip
  13. temple — a place of worship
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. bat — for baseball
  17. stock — goods
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. season — in sport
  20. tear — from crying
  21. season — of the year
  22. temple — side of the head
  23. tear — from crying
  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