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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  16. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  17. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  20. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. track — a song
  5. capital — a city
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. swing — music
  8. stock — goods
  9. stock — shares
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. track — a path
  13. capital — money
  14. track — to keep track
  15. swing — in golf
  16. pass — a permit
  17. pass — to succeed
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. capital — a big letter
  20. deal — to handle
  21. swing — to play on
  22. stock — a soup base
  23. snap — to click
  24. pass — to spend time

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