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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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  7. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. stock — goods
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. stock — shares
  6. snap — to speak sharply
  7. can — a tin
  8. snap — to click
  9. tube — a container
  10. can — to be able to
  11. bore — to drill
  12. tube — the underground
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. bass — low music
  15. deal — to handle
  16. field — farmland
  17. field — a subject
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. bore — to tire
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. bass — the fish
  23. can — a tin
  24. field — for sport

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