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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. net — for catching
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. net — in sport
  5. stock — goods
  6. bass — low music
  7. hand — in cards
  8. hand — part of the body
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. season — of the year
  12. spell — letters
  13. spell — a short time
  14. bass — the fish
  15. march — music
  16. march — the month
  17. net — after costs
  18. mark — to pay attention
  19. march — the month
  20. spell — magic
  21. mark — a grade
  22. mark — a trace
  23. stock — shares
  24. hand — help

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