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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ market has crashed.
  5. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. fine — high quality
  3. bass — the fish
  4. stock — shares
  5. wax — in the ear
  6. file — a tool
  7. spell — magic
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bass — low music
  11. stock — a soup base
  12. wax — to grow
  13. cap — a hat
  14. fine — all right
  15. wax — for sculpting
  16. cap — a lid
  17. fine — a penalty
  18. rush — hurry
  19. spell — letters
  20. file — a document
  21. cap — of ice
  22. spell — a short time
  23. file — a line of people
  24. rush — a thrill

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