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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  18. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. fall — to drop
  3. bank — of a river
  4. bank — for money
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. bass — the fish
  7. fall — to drop
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. capital — money
  10. bass — low music
  11. stock — goods
  12. kid — to tease
  13. cue — a signal
  14. kid — child
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. fall — the season
  17. mate — a friend
  18. capital — a city
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. mate — to breed
  21. mate — a partner
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bank — for money

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