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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Have you settled on a ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  16. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. rash — on the skin
  3. cell — in biology
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. stock — goods
  7. pass — to succeed
  8. pass — a permit
  9. cell — a phone
  10. rash — a series
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. bass — low music
  14. spring — of water
  15. rush — to hurry
  16. rush — hurry
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. bass — the fish
  19. stock — shares
  20. date — the fruit
  21. rash — hasty
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. spring — the season
  24. bass — the instrument

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