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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 ________________ for us to be here?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  8. Have you settled on a ________________?
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  11. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  12. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  15. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  16. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ market has crashed.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. safe — out of danger
  2. bass — low music
  3. firm — a company
  4. date — the fruit
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. firm — steady
  7. bass — the instrument
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. file — a line of people
  10. fork — to eat with
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. stock — goods
  13. bass — the fish
  14. fork — in a road
  15. firm — decided
  16. stock — a soup base
  17. file — a tool
  18. stock — shares
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. scale — in music
  21. scale — size or range
  22. file — a document
  23. scale — for weighing
  24. safe — a strongbox

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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