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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 120 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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  15. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. pop — to visit
  7. kid — to tease
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. stock — goods
  10. kid — child
  11. face — part of the head
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. face — to point toward
  14. mine — an explosive
  15. mine — belonging to me
  16. tube — a container
  17. mine — for digging
  18. rock — music
  19. stock — shares
  20. bass — low music
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. face — to confront
  23. rock — a stone
  24. tube — the underground

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