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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. wound — an injury
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. craft — boats
  5. wound — an injury
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. pop — music
  10. ruler — a monarch
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. stock — goods
  14. pop — to visit
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. pitch — completely
  19. craft — a skill
  20. pop — soda
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. track — a song
  23. track — a path
  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