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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  10. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. That must've been a ________________.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. rash — hasty
  4. rush — hurry
  5. ball — a dance
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. rash — on the skin
  8. ball — a great time
  9. wave — a sudden rise
  10. fork — a garden tool
  11. mine — for digging
  12. stock — shares
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. fork — in a road
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. wave — of the sea
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. mine — belonging to me
  19. bass — the fish
  20. rush — a thrill
  21. bass — low music
  22. fork — to eat with
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. rash — a series

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