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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. This piece is in a major ________________.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. rest — what's left
  4. bass — low music
  5. plane — a tool
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. rest — a break
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. rest — what's left
  12. stock — shares
  13. game — a match
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. bass — the fish
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. key — in music
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. game — wild animals
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. key — for a lock
  23. key — the most important part
  24. game — a kind of play

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