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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. The ________________ took off on time.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. squash — the sport
  3. bass — the fish
  4. march — the month
  5. plane — a tool
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — shares
  8. march — music
  9. march — the month
  10. band — a music group
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. plane — an aircraft
  13. club — for golf
  14. bass — low music
  15. band — a ring
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for dancing
  19. ruler — a monarch
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. squash — to crush
  24. ruler — for measuring

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