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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. stock — shares
  3. degree — an amount
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. content — the amount
  6. degree — from a university
  7. chip — in a computer
  8. craft — a skill
  9. staff — a stick
  10. chip — to eat
  11. staff — employees
  12. chip — for betting
  13. staff — employees
  14. bass — the fish
  15. craft — a handicraft
  16. degree — temperature
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. content — happy
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stock — goods
  23. craft — boats
  24. plane — a tool

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