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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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. chair — a leader
  6. face — to confront
  7. wave — a sudden rise
  8. stock — shares
  9. firm — steady
  10. bore — to tire
  11. stock — goods
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. bore — to drill
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. fork — in a road
  16. face — part of the head
  17. firm — decided
  18. bass — low music
  19. firm — a company
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. face — to point toward
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bore — gave birth

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