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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. The ________________ market has crashed.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  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. stock — shares
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. mate — to breed
  6. bark — a dog's sound
  7. current — happening now
  8. pitch — completely
  9. wind — moving air
  10. current — electric
  11. mate — a friend
  12. deal — to handle
  13. current — of water
  14. wind — moving air
  15. stock — goods
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. bark — of a tree
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. bark — to shout
  20. mate — a partner
  21. bass — the fish
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. pitch — a sports field
  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