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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. net — for catching
  3. hand — help
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. stock — shares
  6. face — to confront
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. can — a tin
  9. bass — low music
  10. row — a line
  11. stock — goods
  12. can — to be able to
  13. rock — a stone
  14. face — part of the head
  15. hand — in cards
  16. bass — the fish
  17. face — to point toward
  18. rock — music
  19. net — in sport
  20. net — after costs
  21. row — to paddle
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. hand — part of the 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