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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. fan — to cool the air
  3. pound — a weight
  4. face — to confront
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. bat — in an idiom
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stock — goods
  9. squash — the sport
  10. squash — to crush
  11. bass — low music
  12. face — to point toward
  13. bat — the animal
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. bass — the fish
  19. face — part of the head
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stock — shares
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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