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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Have you met the new head ________________?
  3. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  4. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  5. What do you think of the new ________________?
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  9. Don't do anything ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. wound — past of 'wind'
  4. coach — pulled by horses
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. wound — an injury
  7. stock — shares
  8. wound — an injury
  9. rash — hasty
  10. bass — low music
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bass — the fish
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. rash — a series
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. rash — on the skin

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