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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  5. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  8. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — an untruth
  2. bass — low music
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. fine — high quality
  5. stock — goods
  6. mate — to breed
  7. scale — size or range
  8. fine — a penalty
  9. fine — all right
  10. mate — a friend
  11. stock — shares
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. lie — to recline
  14. row — a line
  15. row — to paddle
  16. mate — a partner
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. roll — a list
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. bass — the fish
  22. scale — in music
  23. lie — an untruth
  24. roll — a cake

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