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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  7. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. ground — crushed
  4. cell — a phone
  5. stock — shares
  6. rash — a series
  7. plane — a tool
  8. cell — in biology
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. ground — a position
  13. bass — low music
  14. calf — of the leg
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. ground — the earth
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rash — hasty
  21. stock — goods
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. bass — the fish

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