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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. band — a music group
  5. bass — low music
  6. foot — a measure
  7. rock — music
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. march — the month
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. march — the month
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. band — a ring
  14. stock — goods
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. bass — the fish
  17. march — music
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. snap — to click
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. bay — a part of the sea
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. rock — a stone
  24. band — a rubber band

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