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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 116 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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  12. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  22. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bass — low music
  4. sharp — with an edge
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. bat — the animal
  7. band — a ring
  8. bass — the fish
  9. band — a music group
  10. sharp — clever
  11. craft — a skill
  12. craft — boats
  13. stock — shares
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. stock — goods
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. craft — a handicraft
  22. ruler — a monarch
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. wave — a sudden rise

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