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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  5. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  6. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. present — a gift
  4. stock — goods
  5. bore — to tire
  6. ruler — a monarch
  7. stock — shares
  8. bore — to drill
  9. club — for golf
  10. tear — to rip
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. club — for dancing
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. tear — from crying
  16. present — there
  17. court — of law
  18. court — for sport
  19. club — a group
  20. bass — the fish
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. tear — from crying
  23. present — the time now
  24. court — of a king

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