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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. What do you think of the new ________________?
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. bass — low music
  4. ground — the earth
  5. firm — a company
  6. scale — size or range
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. ground — a position
  9. degree — temperature
  10. stock — a soup base
  11. ball — a great time
  12. ground — crushed
  13. firm — steady
  14. degree — from a university
  15. degree — an amount
  16. stock — goods
  17. stock — shares
  18. bass — the fish
  19. firm — decided
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. ball — a dance
  22. scale — in music
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. cabinet — ministers

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