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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. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. She's very handy with a ________________.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  14. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  15. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. stock — goods
  6. chair — a leader
  7. saw — the tool
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. race — the arms race
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. board — to get on
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. race — a contest
  14. board — a committee
  15. board — a flat piece
  16. stock — shares
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. mine — for digging
  19. bass — low music
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. saw — the tool
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  24. race — humankind

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