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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. ground — crushed
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. staff — employees
  5. rock — a stone
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. last — final
  8. cold — the Cold War
  9. ground — a position
  10. rock — music
  11. bass — the fish
  12. last — finally
  13. bass — low music
  14. snap — to snap out of it
  15. stock — shares
  16. stock — goods
  17. cold — not warm
  18. ground — the earth
  19. snap — to click
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. last — to go on
  22. cold — an illness
  23. staff — employees
  24. staff — a stick

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