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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 116 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 lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. Don't do anything ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. clip — to cut
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. stock — shares
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. scale — in music
  7. scale — size or range
  8. lie — to recline
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. rash — a series
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. wave — of the sea
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bass — the fish
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. rash — hasty
  21. bass — low music
  22. clip — a video
  23. stock — goods
  24. stock — a soup base

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