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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  8. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The ________________ market has crashed.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. ball — a great time
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. staff — employees
  6. bass — low music
  7. degree — temperature
  8. stock — goods
  9. cell — a phone
  10. bass — the fish
  11. staff — employees
  12. ball — a dance
  13. stock — shares
  14. rock — music
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. staff — a stick
  18. cell — in biology
  19. degree — from a university
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. stock — a soup base
  24. degree — an amount

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