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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  9. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. hand — help
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. stock — goods
  7. last — finally
  8. fan — to cool the air
  9. hand — in cards
  10. row — a line
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. row — to paddle
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. stock — shares
  17. last — final
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. wake — a trail
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. last — to go on
  23. bass — the fish
  24. bass — low music

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