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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  16. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  17. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. stock — goods
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. hand — help
  5. file — a line of people
  6. hand — in cards
  7. cell — in biology
  8. vault — an arched ceiling
  9. file — a document
  10. rock — a stone
  11. stock — shares
  12. rock — music
  13. chip — to eat
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — a phone
  16. file — a tool
  17. rock — to move gently
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. chip — for betting
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. bass — low music
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — a safe

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