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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  6. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  7. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  8. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  9. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  10. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. bass — low music
  3. deal — a big deal
  4. tube — the underground
  5. cabinet — ministers
  6. stock — a soup base
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. cabinet — a cupboard
  9. stock — goods
  10. rest — what's left
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. net — for catching
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. deal — to handle
  15. rest — a break
  16. net — in sport
  17. rest — what's left
  18. tube — a container
  19. net — after costs
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. bass — the fish
  22. stock — shares
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. deal — an agreement

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