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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 120 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 ________________ market has crashed.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. There's no middle ________________.
  17. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — shares
  2. stock — goods
  3. clip — a video
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. ground — crushed
  7. scale — size or range
  8. bass — low music
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. bass — the fish
  15. clip — for paper
  16. ground — a position
  17. clip — to cut
  18. scale — in music
  19. ground — the earth
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. fine — high quality
  23. fine — all right
  24. scale — for weighing

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