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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — size or range
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. cell — in biology
  4. ball — a dance
  5. ball — a great time
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. stock — goods
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. stock — shares
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. bass — low music
  13. bass — the fish
  14. ball — a round shape
  15. band — a music group
  16. cell — a phone
  17. scale — in music
  18. band — a ring

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