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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: ball · stock · swing · press · track · perch · rash · dip

  1. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. Did you ________________ the button?
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  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. swing — to play on
  2. ball — a dance
  3. ball — a great time
  4. perch — the fish
  5. swing — in golf
  6. press — a publisher
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. track — a song
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. swing — music
  11. stock — shares
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. press — to push
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. stock — goods
  18. press — newspapers
  19. rash — a series
  20. dip — to sink
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. rash — hasty
  23. perch — for a bird
  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