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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 120 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  11. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. squash — the vegetable
  3. stock — shares
  4. charge — electricity
  5. charge — a price
  6. land — ground
  7. staff — employees
  8. prune — the fruit
  9. land — a country
  10. prune — to trim
  11. prune — to trim
  12. staff — employees
  13. court — for sport
  14. land — to come down
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. court — of a king
  17. bass — low music
  18. squash — the sport
  19. stock — goods
  20. charge — in control
  21. bass — the fish
  22. squash — to crush
  23. staff — a stick
  24. court — of law

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