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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  20. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. current — of water
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. ground — the earth
  6. land — a country
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — completely
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. current — electric
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. current — happening now
  13. stock — goods
  14. ground — a position
  15. land — ground
  16. stock — shares
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. ground — crushed
  20. wave — a sudden rise
  21. bass — the fish
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. land — to come down
  24. bark — to shout

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