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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. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  4. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  5. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. She's very handy with a ________________.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  22. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  23. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. stock — goods
  2. scale — in music
  3. snap — to speak sharply
  4. scale — for weighing
  5. rest — a break
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. bass — low music
  8. stock — shares
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. bass — the fish
  12. saw — the tool
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. hand — in cards
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. saw — the tool
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. snap — to click
  19. stock — a soup base
  20. rest — what's left
  21. rest — what's left
  22. hand — help
  23. scale — size or range
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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