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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 116 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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  3. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  4. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  8. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  9. The ________________ market has crashed.
  10. He was locked up in a ________________.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  19. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  20. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. field — a subject
  3. wave — a sudden rise
  4. field — farmland
  5. rash — hasty
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. rock — music
  8. bass — the instrument
  9. stock — shares
  10. cell — in a prison
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. mine — for digging
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. stock — a soup base
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. stock — goods
  17. cell — in biology
  18. rash — a series
  19. bass — low music
  20. bass — the fish
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. field — for sport
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. cell — a phone

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