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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. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  15. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. net — for catching
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. foot — part of the body
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. net — in sport
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. drill — the tool
  10. content — videos and posts
  11. stock — goods
  12. drill — a practice
  13. bass — low music
  14. content — happy
  15. pass — a permit
  16. net — after costs
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bass — the fish
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pass — to succeed
  21. stock — shares
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. content — the amount
  24. drill — army training

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