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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. tube — the underground
  3. safe — out of danger
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. bass — low music
  6. root — of a word
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. rest — a break
  10. rest — what's left
  11. stock — shares
  12. root — the cause
  13. object — to protest
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. stock — goods
  16. object — a thing
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. object — an aim
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. rest — what's left
  22. tube — a container
  23. root — of a plant
  24. pitcher — a jug

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