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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  8. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the button?
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. stock — shares
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. press — newspapers
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. straw — to clutch at straws
  8. degree — an amount
  9. band — a music group
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. press — to push
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. rock — a stone
  14. stock — goods
  15. degree — from a university
  16. band — a ring
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bass — the fish
  19. degree — temperature
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. press — a publisher
  23. bass — low music
  24. band — a rubber band

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