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

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. bass — the fish
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. fine — a penalty
  6. stock — goods
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. file — a tool
  12. fine — high quality
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. file — a line of people
  15. file — a document
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. stock — shares
  18. bass — low music

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