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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. bay — to keep at bay
  5. file — a line of people
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. bulb — for light
  10. stock — shares
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stock — goods
  13. bulb — for light
  14. scale — in music
  15. scale — size or range
  16. wound — an injury
  17. file — a tool
  18. wound — an injury
  19. scale — for weighing
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. bass — low music
  22. file — a document
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. bass — the fish

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