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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  5. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. track — a path
  4. bass — the fish
  5. pass — a permit
  6. bat — the animal
  7. chest — of your body
  8. chest — of your body
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. rule — a law
  13. track — to keep track
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. track — a song
  17. rule — government
  18. stock — shares
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. bass — low music
  21. rule — to rule out
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. wave — with your hand
  24. chest — a box

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