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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.

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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: wind · chest · stock · swing · racket · track · mate · hide

  1. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. swing — in golf
  3. stock — goods
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wind — moving air
  8. mate — to breed
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. stock — shares
  12. chest — a box
  13. track — a song
  14. swing — music
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. wind — to turn a key
  17. track — to keep track
  18. chest — of your body
  19. wind — moving air
  20. mate — a partner
  21. track — a path
  22. mate — a friend
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. swing — to play on

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