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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. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  5. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  6. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — steady
  2. game — a kind of play
  3. stock — shares
  4. craft — a skill
  5. net — in sport
  6. cue — a signal
  7. cue — a hint
  8. game — a match
  9. firm — a company
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. net — after costs
  12. clip — to cut
  13. stock — goods
  14. firm — decided
  15. clip — a video
  16. cue — for pool
  17. clip — for paper
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. game — wild animals
  20. bass — the fish
  21. net — for catching
  22. craft — boats
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. bass — low music

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