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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 116 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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. mate — to breed
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. mine — an explosive
  8. march — the month
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. stock — goods
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. mate — a partner
  14. hide — to keep secret
  15. mate — a friend
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. mine — for digging
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. stock — shares
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. bass — the fish

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