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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. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. We're on a ________________ here.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. bear — the animal
  2. bass — low music
  3. saw — the tool
  4. cue — a hint
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. bear — the animal
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bass — the fish
  9. roll — on a roll
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. field — for sport
  12. stock — shares
  13. field — a subject
  14. row — a line
  15. bear — to put up with
  16. cue — a signal
  17. stock — goods
  18. row — to paddle
  19. roll — a list
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. roll — a cake
  22. field — farmland
  23. cue — for pool
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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