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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  7. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  15. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Many English words ________________ from Latin.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. bass — low music
  3. stock — goods
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. pass — a permit
  7. firm — decided
  8. hand — help
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bass — the fish
  11. snap — to click
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. hand — part of the body
  15. patient — calm and waiting
  16. stock — shares
  17. firm — steady
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. stem — a stem cell
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. hand — in cards
  24. stem — to come from

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