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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'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. I can't ________________ this cold.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Would you like some apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. land — ground
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. stand — to bear
  6. land — to come down
  7. land — a country
  8. dip — to sink
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. chest — of your body
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. chest — a box
  13. chest — of your body
  14. stock — shares
  15. stand — on your feet
  16. bass — low music
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. dip — a sauce
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. bass — the fish
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. stock — goods
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. jam — to spread on bread

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