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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. ground — the earth
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. wound — past of 'wind'
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. bass — low music
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. roll — a list
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. ground — a position
  15. ground — crushed
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. stock — shares
  18. wound — an injury
  19. kick — in football
  20. fine — all right
  21. fine — high quality
  22. stock — goods
  23. bass — the fish
  24. wound — an injury

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