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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. stock — goods
  3. row — a line
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. band — a music group
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. band — a ring
  8. net — after costs
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. chest — a box
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. chest — of your body
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. chest — of your body
  15. stock — shares
  16. rush — hurry
  17. row — to paddle
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. row — a quarrel
  22. net — in sport
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. band — a rubber band

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