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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. bass — low music
  3. stock — shares
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. chest — of your body
  6. scale — size or range
  7. mine — for digging
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. scale — in music
  10. board — a committee
  11. rest — a break
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. board — to get on
  14. stock — goods
  15. rest — what's left
  16. rest — what's left
  17. bass — the fish
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. chest — of your body
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. chest — a box
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. board — a flat piece

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