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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  7. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. I can't ________________ this cold.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  24. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. pitch — completely
  3. chair — a leader
  4. wake — a trail
  5. spring — the season
  6. stand — on your feet
  7. stand — for spectators
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. stock — goods
  13. bass — the fish
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. spring — of water
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. stock — shares
  21. stand — to bear
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. pitch — a sports field
  24. spring — a coil

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