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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  9. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bat — the animal
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. stock — goods
  6. perch — the fish
  7. bass — low music
  8. sharp — clever
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. bass — the fish
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. ball — a great time
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. stock — shares
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. bass — the instrument
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. stand — to bear
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. ball — a dance

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