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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. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  10. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. land — a country
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rock — music
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. land — to come down
  6. craft — a skill
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rest — a break
  9. craft — a handicraft
  10. rock — to move gently
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. net — for catching
  13. mark — a grade
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. bass — low music
  16. net — in sport
  17. mark — a trace
  18. stock — goods
  19. craft — boats
  20. stock — shares
  21. rest — what's left
  22. rest — what's left
  23. net — after costs
  24. land — ground

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