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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 116 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. There's no middle ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. spell — magic
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bass — low music
  6. ground — the earth
  7. ground — crushed
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. pound — a weight
  10. ground — a position
  11. spell — letters
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. stick — a piece of wood
  14. stock — shares
  15. spell — a short time
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. stock — goods
  18. stick — to attach or keep to

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