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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. What do you think of the new ________________?
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. I play ________________ in a jazz band.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. stock — goods
  3. bass — low music
  4. cabinet — ministers
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. file — a document
  7. spell — letters
  8. cap — a hat
  9. rule — a law
  10. file — a tool
  11. spell — a short time
  12. stock — shares
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. rule — government
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. cap — a lid
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — to trim
  20. spell — magic
  21. file — a line of people
  22. bass — the fish
  23. cap — of ice
  24. bass — the instrument

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