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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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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 · swing · present · key · wind · date · bank · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. This piece is in a major ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  11. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. key — in music
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. swing — in golf
  6. key — the most important part
  7. bank — for money
  8. present — a gift
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. key — for a lock
  11. bank — for money
  12. stock — goods
  13. swing — to play on
  14. swing — music
  15. wind — to turn a key
  16. present — the time now
  17. wind — moving air
  18. kid — to tease
  19. bank — of a river
  20. date — the fruit
  21. stock — shares
  22. wind — moving air
  23. date — on the calendar
  24. present — there

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