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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. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. What's the difference between broth and ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. ground — the earth
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. court — of law
  6. ground — a position
  7. bass — the fish
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. spell — a short time
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. tube — the underground
  12. court — for sport
  13. stock — goods
  14. rest — a break
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. ground — crushed
  17. rest — what's left
  18. court — of a king
  19. stock — shares
  20. bass — low music
  21. spell — letters
  22. spell — magic
  23. tube — a container
  24. stock — a soup base

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