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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. This piece is in a major ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stock — goods
  5. key — for a lock
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. mate — a partner
  8. ground — a position
  9. bass — the fish
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stock — shares
  12. net — for catching
  13. key — the most important part
  14. ground — crushed
  15. key — in music
  16. bass — low music
  17. rash — hasty
  18. rash — a series
  19. ground — the earth
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. net — after costs
  22. net — in sport
  23. mate — to breed
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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