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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 120 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. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. What do you think of the new ________________?
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  21. The ________________ market has crashed.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — a soup base
  2. bass — low music
  3. ground — crushed
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. shower — rain
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. present — a gift
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. present — there
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. bass — the fish
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. ground — a position
  14. shower — to wash
  15. tube — the underground
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. ground — the earth
  18. shower — a meteor shower
  19. tube — a container
  20. bass — the instrument
  21. stock — shares
  22. stock — goods
  23. present — the time now
  24. cabinet — a cupboard

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