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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  3. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  6. My father caught me by the ________________.
  7. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  13. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. charge — in control
  3. field — for sport
  4. stock — shares
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. band — a rubber band
  8. charge — a price
  9. pass — to succeed
  10. pass — a permit
  11. spell — magic
  12. field — a subject
  13. charge — electricity
  14. spell — letters
  15. bass — the fish
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. band — a music group
  18. band — a ring
  19. spell — a short time
  20. stock — goods
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. field — farmland
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. bass — low music

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