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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: swing · rash · fork · stock · fine · rush · season · deal

  1. That must've been a ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. Did you ________________ the meat?
  16. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. fine — high quality
  3. season — in sport
  4. rush — hurry
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. rash — hasty
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. fork — to eat with
  9. stock — shares
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. swing — in golf
  13. season — of the year
  14. stock — goods
  15. season — to add flavour
  16. deal — to handle
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. swing — to play on
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. rash — a series
  22. swing — music
  23. fine — all right
  24. fork — in a road

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