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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. tube — the underground
  3. drill — army training
  4. band — a ring
  5. tube — in a tire
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. drill — a practice
  8. drill — the tool
  9. object — a thing
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. object — an aim
  12. stock — shares
  13. object — to protest
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. band — a music group
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. cabinet — a cupboard
  19. bass — the fish
  20. tube — a container
  21. stock — goods
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. toast — bread

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