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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pop — soda
  3. bass — the fish
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. ground — crushed
  6. mark — a trace
  7. ground — the earth
  8. stock — goods
  9. pop — music
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. prune — to trim
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. pound — a weight
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. bass — low music
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. mark — a grade
  19. stock — shares
  20. ground — a position
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. prune — to trim
  24. pop — to visit

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