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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 116 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 ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. Have you met the new head ________________?
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. spell — a short time
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bass — the fish
  5. stock — shares
  6. saw — the tool
  7. spell — magic
  8. degree — from a university
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. chip — for betting
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. bass — low music
  13. stock — goods
  14. craft — boats
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. degree — an amount
  17. chip — to eat
  18. coach — pulled by horses
  19. degree — temperature
  20. chip — in a computer
  21. craft — a skill
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. spell — letters
  24. saw — the tool

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