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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 ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. rest — what's left
  4. rash — a series
  5. bass — low music
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. swing — music
  8. bark — to shout
  9. stock — goods
  10. stock — shares
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bark — a dog's sound
  14. rest — a break
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. swing — in golf
  18. chest — a box
  19. bass — the fish
  20. sharp — clever
  21. rash — hasty
  22. chest — of your body
  23. swing — to play on
  24. chest — of your body

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