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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  9. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Spring is a pleasant ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. season — in sport
  3. ground — the earth
  4. swing — to play on
  5. ground — a position
  6. march — the month
  7. mate — to breed
  8. firm — steady
  9. stock — a soup base
  10. march — the month
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. firm — a company
  13. swing — in golf
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. firm — decided
  16. stock — goods
  17. bass — low music
  18. march — music
  19. stock — shares
  20. mate — a partner
  21. mate — a friend
  22. swing — music
  23. bass — the fish
  24. season — of the year

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