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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 like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  9. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  10. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. How do you ________________ your surname?
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to dunk
  2. bass — the fish
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bass — the instrument
  5. stock — shares
  6. wave — of the sea
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. rest — what's left
  9. dip — a sauce
  10. dip — to sink
  11. spell — magic
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. file — a tool
  14. staff — employees
  15. file — a line of people
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. stock — goods
  18. file — a document
  19. staff — a stick
  20. spell — letters
  21. staff — employees
  22. rest — a break
  23. bass — low music
  24. spell — a short time

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