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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  2. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. That must've been a ________________.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. march — the month
  3. bass — low music
  4. stock — shares
  5. content — the amount
  6. bass — the fish
  7. rush — a thrill
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. net — in sport
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. ground — crushed
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. content — happy
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. march — the month
  19. ground — a position
  20. stock — goods
  21. march — music
  22. rush — hurry
  23. net — after costs
  24. net — for catching

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