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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. How do you ________________ your surname?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. bass — the fish
  3. track — to keep track
  4. rock — a stone
  5. track — a song
  6. object — an aim
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. spell — letters
  9. track — a path
  10. rule — a law
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. stock — goods
  13. rock — music
  14. spell — a short time
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. ground — a position
  18. stock — shares
  19. object — to protest
  20. rule — government
  21. ground — the earth
  22. spell — magic
  23. bass — low music
  24. object — a thing

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