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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 120 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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  12. What do you think of the new ________________?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The ________________ market has crashed.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. staff — a stick
  5. saw — the tool
  6. saw — the tool
  7. cell — a phone
  8. court — of law
  9. staff — employees
  10. court — for sport
  11. cabinet — a cupboard
  12. cabinet — ministers
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fine — high quality
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. stock — goods
  18. court — of a king
  19. cell — in biology
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. staff — employees
  23. bass — low music
  24. stock — shares

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