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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. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  13. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. can — to be able to
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. bat — the animal
  4. bass — low music
  5. mug — a cup
  6. mug — to rob
  7. rash — hasty
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. can — a tin
  11. sharp — clever
  12. sharp — with an edge
  13. bank — for money
  14. mug — a face
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. can — a tin
  17. bass — the instrument
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. stock — goods
  20. bank — of a river
  21. rash — a series
  22. stock — shares
  23. bank — for money
  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