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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. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. David sat on the ________________.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. march — music
  3. stock — goods
  4. can — a tin
  5. hand — in cards
  6. hand — part of the body
  7. march — the month
  8. can — a tin
  9. degree — from a university
  10. degree — temperature
  11. bowl — a dish
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. bowl — to roll
  15. swing — music
  16. hand — help
  17. swing — to play on
  18. march — the month
  19. bass — low music
  20. can — to be able to
  21. bass — the fish
  22. swing — in golf
  23. degree — an amount
  24. stock — shares

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