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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Have you met the new head ________________?
  24. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. spell — a short time
  5. lash — a whip stroke
  6. fall — the season
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. spell — magic
  9. fall — to drop
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. stock — shares
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. spell — letters
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. pound — a weight
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. fall — to drop
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. bass — the fish
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. stock — goods

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