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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 120 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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  5. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  12. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  24. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. bass — the fish
  3. stock — goods
  4. bay — a part of the sea
  5. land — ground
  6. bass — low music
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. firm — a company
  12. firm — decided
  13. firm — steady
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stock — shares
  18. land — to come down
  19. hand — help
  20. squash — the sport
  21. hand — in cards
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. land — a country
  24. squash — to crush

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