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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: race · swing · jam · deal · mate · present · bass · stock

  1. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Have you found your soul ________________?
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. jam — in traffic
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. bass — low music
  6. mate — a friend
  7. stock — goods
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. deal — a big deal
  10. swing — music
  11. race — the arms race
  12. present — there
  13. jam — a tight spot
  14. swing — in golf
  15. mate — to breed
  16. race — humankind
  17. mate — a partner
  18. bass — the fish
  19. swing — to play on
  20. present — the time now
  21. stock — shares
  22. deal — to handle
  23. race — a contest
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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