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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  5. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bass — low music
  3. bass — the fish
  4. hand — help
  5. snap — to speak sharply
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. rest — a break
  8. file — a document
  9. stock — goods
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. rest — what's left
  12. snap — to click
  13. file — a tool
  14. root — the cause
  15. rest — what's left
  16. file — a line of people
  17. root — of a plant
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. key — for a lock
  21. key — in music
  22. stock — shares
  23. key — the most important part
  24. root — of a word

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