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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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  2. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. We're on a ________________ here.
  6. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  12. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. What do you think of the new ________________?
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  23. The ________________ market has crashed.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — the instrument
  2. fork — to eat with
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. roll — on a roll
  6. club — for dancing
  7. bass — the fish
  8. roll — a cake
  9. bass — low music
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. stock — goods
  12. roll — a list
  13. club — for golf
  14. track — to keep track
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. club — a group
  17. fork — in a road
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. cabinet — ministers
  21. track — a path
  22. fork — a garden tool
  23. stock — shares
  24. track — a song

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