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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. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  7. The tickets are free of ________________.
  8. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  16. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  19. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  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. perch — the fish
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. plane — in geometry
  4. stock — goods
  5. land — a country
  6. fine — all right
  7. charge — a price
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stock — shares
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. bass — the fish
  14. land — to come down
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. perch — for a bird
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. plane — a tool
  19. land — ground
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. charge — electricity
  22. charge — in control
  23. fine — high quality
  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