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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 assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. ground — the earth
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. cap — a lid
  5. stock — goods
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. bark — to shout
  8. stock — shares
  9. bass — low music
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. pop — soda
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cap — of ice
  16. pop — music
  17. ground — a position
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. fine — high quality
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. cap — a hat
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. pop — to visit
  24. fine — a penalty

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