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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. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  4. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  5. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. can — a tin
  4. shower — rain
  5. craft — a skill
  6. bass — the fish
  7. can — a tin
  8. stock — goods
  9. shower — a meteor shower
  10. stock — shares
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. file — a tool
  13. stick — to attach or keep to
  14. shower — to wash
  15. bass — low music
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. can — to be able to
  19. lie — to recline
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. file — a document
  22. file — a line of people
  23. craft — boats
  24. craft — a handicraft

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