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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  3. We're almost out of ________________.
  4. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  24. I can't ________________ this cold.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. rule — a law
  3. pop — soda
  4. stand — on your feet
  5. stock — goods
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. file — a line of people
  8. scale — in music
  9. file — a tool
  10. row — to paddle
  11. bass — the fish
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. pop — to visit
  14. pop — music
  15. stock — shares
  16. file — a document
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. scale — size or range
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. row — a line
  23. rule — government
  24. stand — to bear

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