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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. That was ________________ to happen.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. When will it ________________ you to start?
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The ________________ took off on time.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bound — certain
  4. stock — shares
  5. suit — to fit
  6. bound — tied together
  7. drill — army training
  8. shower — to wash
  9. bass — the fish
  10. fall — to drop
  11. shower — rain
  12. suit — clothes
  13. fall — the season
  14. drill — the tool
  15. plane — a tool
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. fall — to drop
  20. bound — obliged
  21. plane — an aircraft
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. stock — goods
  24. suit — in cards

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