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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 fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  2. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. He works in a ________________ mill.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. David sat on the ________________.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. The ________________ market has crashed.
  21. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  22. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the fish
  2. stock — a soup base
  3. cell — in biology
  4. cell — a phone
  5. cue — a signal
  6. saw — the tool
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. swing — to play on
  10. bass — low music
  11. march — the month
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. march — the month
  14. stock — goods
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. march — music
  18. saw — the tool
  19. swing — in golf
  20. stock — shares
  21. swing — music
  22. kick — in football
  23. cue — a hint
  24. kick — a thrill

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