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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. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. firm — decided
  2. rest — a break
  3. firm — a company
  4. ball — a great time
  5. can — to be able to
  6. bass — low music
  7. stock — shares
  8. stock — goods
  9. can — a tin
  10. rest — what's left
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. rest — what's left
  13. firm — steady
  14. ball — a dance
  15. hand — help
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. current — happening now
  19. bass — the fish
  20. hand — in cards
  21. current — electric
  22. can — a tin
  23. current — of water
  24. hand — part of the body

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