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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bass — low music
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. wound — an injury
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. can — to be able to
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. dip — to sink
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stock — goods
  12. mate — a partner
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. stock — shares
  15. mate — to breed
  16. can — a tin
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. bass — the fish
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. cell — in biology
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. wound — an injury
  24. can — a tin

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