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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  15. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. game — wild animals
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. field — a subject
  8. wax — to grow
  9. game — a match
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. wax — for sculpting
  12. degree — from a university
  13. bass — the fish
  14. degree — temperature
  15. field — farmland
  16. degree — an amount
  17. field — for sport
  18. stock — shares
  19. wax — in the ear
  20. bass — low music
  21. cue — a signal
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — for pool
  24. mouse — the animal

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