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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. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  23. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. stock — shares
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bass — the fish
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. present — there
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. present — a gift
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. chest — of your body
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stock — goods
  16. fork — in a road
  17. chest — of your body
  18. chest — a box
  19. present — the time now
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. cabinet — ministers
  23. cabinet — a cupboard
  24. bass — low music

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