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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bass — low music
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cap — a hat
  5. fine — all right
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bass — the fish
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. stock — goods
  11. cap — of ice
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. stock — shares
  15. ruler — a monarch
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. fine — high quality
  21. cap — a lid
  22. wake — a trail
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. wake — before a funeral

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