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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. cold — an illness
  3. cold — not warm
  4. club — a group
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. stock — shares
  8. bass — low music
  9. prune — to trim
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. chip — to eat
  13. stock — goods
  14. club — for dancing
  15. club — for golf
  16. kid — to tease
  17. bass — the fish
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. kid — child
  20. chip — for betting
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. prune — to trim
  24. bass — the instrument

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