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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 play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  13. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  14. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. When are we going to ________________?
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. cue — a hint
  3. stock — goods
  4. saw — the tool
  5. saw — the tool
  6. bass — low music
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. swing — to play on
  9. land — ground
  10. bass — the fish
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. dip — to sink
  13. land — a country
  14. dip — to dunk
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — in golf
  17. tube — the underground
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. land — to come down
  20. cue — for pool
  21. stock — shares
  22. cue — a signal
  23. tube — a container
  24. dip — a sauce

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