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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. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  16. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. firm — a company
  2. hand — in cards
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. stock — goods
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. bass — low music
  9. cap — a hat
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. cap — of ice
  14. stock — shares
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. wind — moving air
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. firm — steady
  19. bass — the fish
  20. safe — out of danger
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. firm — decided
  23. hand — help
  24. cap — a lid

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