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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Have you settled on a ________________?
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  6. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. file — a line of people
  3. date — on the calendar
  4. date — the fruit
  5. fine — all right
  6. mug — a face
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. ground — crushed
  9. mug — a cup
  10. fine — high quality
  11. ground — a position
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. mate — a partner
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mate — a friend
  16. stock — goods
  17. file — a document
  18. stock — shares
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. file — a tool
  21. bass — the fish
  22. ground — the earth
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bass — the instrument

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