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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. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  2. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. The ________________ market has crashed.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — part of the body
  2. wound — an injury
  3. bass — low music
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — music
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. wake — to stop sleeping
  12. hand — help
  13. degree — from a university
  14. stock — shares
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. degree — temperature
  17. wound — an injury
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. wake — a trail
  20. bass — the fish
  21. hand — in cards
  22. stock — goods
  23. degree — an amount
  24. fan — a supporter

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