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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 116 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. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. My mare is ________________ in color.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bound — obliged
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. stock — goods
  5. bay — a part of the sea
  6. bass — the fish
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. court — of law
  9. court — of a king
  10. stand — to bear
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. bound — tied together
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bat — the animal
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. stock — shares
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. court — for sport
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. bay — a horse colour
  23. bass — low music
  24. bound — certain

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