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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. That must've been a ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — a thrill
  2. game — a match
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. stock — shares
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. game — wild animals
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. branch — of a bank
  9. last — final
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. branch — a division
  13. last — to go on
  14. stock — goods
  15. stem — of a plant
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. last — finally
  18. rush — hurry
  19. stem — to come from
  20. bass — low music
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. game — a kind of play
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  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