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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  17. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  18. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. I'll take my ________________ from you.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. stock — goods
  3. chest — of your body
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. cue — a signal
  6. chest — a box
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. cue — for pool
  10. dip — to sink
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. stock — shares
  14. chest — of your body
  15. bass — low music
  16. snap — to click
  17. vault — a safe
  18. vault — in gymnastics
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. rash — a series
  22. bass — the fish
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. cue — a hint

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