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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. bass — low music
  3. cap — a lid
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. march — the month
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. cap — of ice
  8. deal — a big deal
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. stock — goods
  11. wind — moving air
  12. rock — a stone
  13. cap — a hat
  14. hand — in cards
  15. stock — shares
  16. hand — help
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. march — the month
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rock — music
  21. march — music
  22. hand — part of the body
  23. wind — moving air
  24. bass — the fish

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