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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 supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. The ________________ market has crashed.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. snap — to click
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. bass — low music
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. stock — shares
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. chair — a leader
  11. shower — to wash
  12. bass — the fish
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. shower — rain
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. racket — for tennis

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