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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. mug — to rob
  2. mug — a cup
  3. drill — a practice
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bass — low music
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. kid — child
  8. land — ground
  9. present — there
  10. drill — army training
  11. present — the time now
  12. kid — to tease
  13. band — a music group
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. drill — the tool
  16. bass — the fish
  17. stock — goods
  18. land — a country
  19. mug — a face
  20. band — a ring
  21. present — a gift
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. stock — shares
  24. land — to come down

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